I'll Be Whoever You Want Me To Be
by Fangoddess
Summary: This is my first post and I'm a huge Delena fan although I like Alaric and Elena too. Here's a Damon- Alaric- Elena fanfic to start with! Btw, Damon is a bit too bad- ass in this one. I like him more this way. The TV show has softened him to the level where even Stefan seems edgier, so I hope you like this version of Damon as much! xoxo :)
1. I'll be Katherine

"Elena?" Stefan's voice reached her room. He was using the front door now? She couldn't believe he was taking her words quiet so literally.

"Leave me alone, Stefan!" she yelled, although, she was pretty sure he would've heard her if she had just whispered. But she was in no mood to be subtle. Not after she had found him sticking his tongue down Katherine's throat.

She was surprised to find out that the scene didn't make her upset or jealous. She had just been relieved that she wouldn't have to cook up a reason to break up with him and it was a revelation. She didn't love Stefan- at least not as much as she wanted to. He didn't bring out the fire in her. Damon did.

Damon- just his name was enough to send a thousand bats flapping around in her chest. The moment he had kissed her, she knew. But she found it hard to admit that she had been just as weak as Katherine when it came to the Salvatore brothers. But Katherine had made her decision in the end. She loved Stefan and Elena was extremely grateful that she didn't have to compete with Katherine when it came to Damon.

She was sure that even after everything, if Katherine changed her mind, it wouldn't take Damon an instant to go running back to her. That's how much he loved Katherine. In fact, he had told her exactly that in Georgia. In the few minutes that he had let his guard down, he had talked only about Katherine.

* * *

"She was beautiful," she remembered his words. "No, she was beyond beautiful. She was wild and seductive and irresistible. Like me." He had smirked.

She had felt a strange nagging in her chest when he had said that. What did Katherine have that she didn't?

"Stefan- uh, did he love her too? Does he still?" she had asked him.

"I'd be surprised if he didn't. She wasn't an easy one to pass." Damon winked and popped a fry in.

"Now? What- um does he now?" God, she wanted to dig a hole and jump into it just to escape the embarrassment that was eating at her.

She- Elena Gilbert- how much more pathetic could she get?

She couldn't think of one boy in her entire town who wouldn't want to be hers and yet her she was, playing the paranoid girlfriend

"Oh Stefan! Such a heart- breaker!" his lips twitched mischievously. "I doubt that, princess. He has you to keep him company."

That was all it took for her to start bawling her eyes out. That little rodent! I was just a piece of ass to him, with his one true love's face. She wasn't grieving. She was enraged. She was Elena freaking Gilbert! She wasn't plan- B! She wasn't a stop along the road- she was the destination and if Stefan didn't see that, she'd be glad to show him the consequences.

Damon was shocked. What had he said? Even with all the uncontrolled sobbing, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful Elena was. She wasn't Katherine- she would never be Katherine to him. But she was Elena- feisty, misunderstood. His weakling of a brother hadn't bothered to explore her.

All Stefan saw in Elena were Katherine's eyes, Katherine's lips, Katherine's face- to Stefan, Elena was the angelic version of Katherine. One who wouldn't break his heart and fall in love with his brother or manipulate him. But there was so much more to her and Damon saw it. There was a fire in her. It was too deep within to be seen but it seemed to reach out to him- burn him. He knew that she was more than she showed, that she had dark and desperate desires that she kept buried- not that Saint Stefan had any sex- pertise.

She wasn't meant for Stefan. She was meant for- "Princess, come on, you're drawing eyes," he said softly, lifting her off her bar stool.

"No! Leave me alone! I want to finish my burger," she sniffled. "And may be do some shots."

"Elena," he warned, dragging her out to the car.

"Let me go! Damon! Ugh, you think I want to hear you talk about Katherine?" her jaw dropped to the floor as soon as the words had stumbled out.

This was what was bothering her? Not Stefan's obsession with her doppelganger but Damon's?

Damon raised his eyebrows, surprised and satisfied at once, "Oh, princess, I thought that you were immune to my charms."

"You have none!" Elena squeaked. She had involuntarily given away too much. She wasn't going to be side- tracked by his stupid bad- boy glory.

"That's what I thought," Damon grinned and climbed into his car, "Buckle up."

* * *

"Elena, please, let me explain!" Stefan's voice was still coming from the door. Oh god, does he honestly expect me to invite him in? She shoved her homework off her lap and walked to the stair- way.

"I don't need an explanation, Stefan. You love Katherine. You were using me because I look like her and now that she's back, you've gone running back to her like a faithful little lapdog."

Stefan flinched at her words. He was reeling- everything she had said was true. If Elena hadn't looked like Katherine, he wouldn't have given her a second glance.

Elena knew she was right. She didn't even want to look at him. The only reason she had been with Stefan was because he had made her feel secure and loved. She was with him because she knew he'd never leave like her parents did. He was good- safe. But since she had seen him kiss Katherine in the tomb, whatever little love she had felt for him had fled hell- ward.

Yet she had bargained with Elijah to let Stefan out of the tomb- not because she wanted to free him or because she didn't want him to be stuck in with Katherine, but because she didn't want Katherine to get what she wanted- not after hurting and denying Damon the way she had done.

* * *

She could never remove Damon's face from her head, the night he had appeared in her room unannounced like always, only he wasn't his usual self. He had tried to kiss her.

She knew- she knew that he just wanted to be loved. That was all anyone needed and Damon, after a century and a half of loving the same woman who had so gladly ripped his heart out, needed security, assurance and Elena had kissed him.

She wanted to show him in so many ways that he deserved better- that he deserved more. She wanted to show him everything she felt for him but she also knew that she wasn't the one he wanted. He wanted Katherine.

"I'll be Katherine for you," she had whispered so softly, hoping that he wouldn't hear her.

Damon went rigid against her. "Did you just-"

"For tonight," she cut him off. "Just tonight."


	2. Time to fess up, Elena

"Elena, I can't- you can't," Damon was too stunned to frame coherent sentences. For all that was holy, she really had no boundaries! He knew how crushed she was when she found out that Stefan had only seen Katherine in her. Would she really do this? For me?

"Damon, please, you need this," she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, "I'll be Katherine."

Just the sight of her surrendering all so willingly, was enough to make him ache for her. She's really doing this for me. 'Of course not, you moron! You mean nothing to her. Stefan does. This isn't a big deal to her,' the coldest part of his mind taunted him, 'She just wants to have some fun. Ickle Steffiekins is probably not giving her enough.'

"You want to play games, Katherine?" Damon's eyes heated with desire.

Elena snapped her eyes open, instinctively flinching at Damon addressing her as Katherine. Fuck, did she really want to do this? How much more of a masochist could she be? But the night wasn't about her- it was for Damon. She would do it for Damon.

"Kiss me," she whispered trying not to look scared out of her wits.

He couldn't resist her anymore than she could him. He launched himself at her, grabbing her hips and pulling her to him as her hands reached for his hair and his mouth claimed her. He pushed her against the window and his tongue found hers. She moaned into his mouth as he pulled her hair, tipping her head back as he kissed her savagely.

He then broke the kiss and turned her around, placing her palms on the cold glass of the window. "I'm getting you out of this dress," he growled seductively.

She turned and stared at the door, grateful that she had locked it. Alaric and Jenna were just in the other room.

He grasped the top of her dress and in one swift move ripped through the zipper. It fell down to her feet in a pile, leaving her with her blue bustier and panties- so not Katherine, Damon smirked. He helped her step out of the dress and kicked it across the room.

He paused and stared at her for a moment, drinking her in and she reveled in his sensual, smoldering gaze.

"You know, Elena?" he said softly as his eyes skimmed all over her. He undid the top three buttons of his shirt, "I was so mad when Katherine chose my baby brother. All manner of ideas ran through my head. I'm still mad at her, I might do anything. But I knew you were off limits and yet you volunteer!" he gazed down at her, "Why?" he whispered.

"Volunteer? I don't know. I- you deserve Katherine. You're worth it, Damon. You-" she breathed, squirming under his amused stare, "you're a worthy cause." And then there's the real reason, she thought- she wanted him.

"But I'm mad at you, Katherine," Damon reached out to caress Elena's cheek.

"Just make love to me," Elena leaned into his palm.

"Make love?" Damon scoffed, "I'm so mad I want to fuck you, spank you," Damon stated matter- of- factly.

She needed him then. She needed him more. The ache was worse and she knew he could appease it, calm the roaring, salivating beast in her with the beast in him, "Please," she begged.

"Then maybe Katherine, that's exactly what you want," he gasped, reading her face- it was of pure agony and starvation.

"Yes," she was panting now. She wanted his hands on her.

He swallowed then took her hand and moved toward her bed. He sat down, grabbed a pillow and placed it beside him. He gazed up at her and with sudden urge tugged hard on her hand so that she fell across his lap. He shifted slightly so her body rested on the bed, her chest on the pillow, her face to one side.

Leaning over, he swept her hair over her shoulder, "Hands behind your back," he murmured in her ear.

He reached down for her sneakers that were lying under her bed and ripped out the lace string. He quickly bound her wrists so her hands were tied and resting at the small of her back.

"You really want this, Katherine?"

She did. "Yes," she whispered.

"Why?" he asked her softly caressing her behind with his palm.

"Because I chose Stef- your baby brother."

"Good girl," his left hand curled around her waist, holding her in place as his palm left her skin and landed hard, just above her thighs. The pain connected directly with the ache deep within her.

She moaned loudly. He hit her again, in exactly the same place and she moaned louder.

"You want me to stop, Katherine?" he stressed her name. It felt so carnal, he hit her again slightly to the side and again, to the other side, then paused as he peeled off her panties. He continued his spanking, each stinging smack fueling her need. She surrendered herself to the rhythm of blows, absorbing each one.

"Twelve," he murmured, his voice low and harsh. He trailed his fingers down toward her sex and slowly sank two fingers inside her, moving them in a circle, around and around, torturing her.

She moaned out loud as her body took over and she came convulsing around his fingers. It was so intense and quick.

"That's right, baby," he murmured appreciatively. He untied her wrists, keeping his fingers inside her as she stretched, panting and spent over him.

"I'm not done yet, Katherine," he growled and shifted without removing his fingers. He pushed her to the bed, face up and undid his zip. He slid his fingers out of her, "Open your legs," he whispered and she complied.

"This is not for you, baby," he murmured and slammed into her.

"Ah!" she cried out but it was heavenly.

He knew that she was not just doing this for him but also for herself. She wanted him and that much was pretty clear. She looked like a goddess as he pushed her to the edge and then abruptly he just stopped. He wanted to see how far sweet, little, Elena would go.

"You're punishing me?" she asked in shock.

"Yes, Katherine, you've earned it," he smirked down at her, "Why did you kiss Stefan?"

He was still playing? "I don't know."

She wrapped her fingers around his length- he was hard and throbbing. She stroked him in her fist. She placed it between the lips of her sex, rubbing him back and forth. Her gaze never left his. She watched him, looking for any sign of the passionate lover she adored. He wasn't there. A furious stranger glared back at her, taunting her with his detachment.

She let the first thick inch push inside her, spreading her open. Then she pushed her hips up, crying out as he pierced her deep and stretched her almost unbearably.

"Fuck!" he bit out, shuddering, "Damn it."

She grinned and lifted again, slowly, making them both feel every nuance of the friction. When she pulled back down, the sensation of fullness, the connection was too much to contain, she moaned and he shifted restlessly, his hip moving in delicious circles.

"You feel so good," she whispered, stroking him with her sex, "You're all I need, Damon. All I want."

"You forgot that," he growled.

She wondered if he was just playing on or physically restraining himself from reaching for her, "Never. I could never forget. You're a part of me."

"Tell me why you kissed him."

"I don't know," she rested her palm on her forehead, feeling the tears burning behind her eyes. Is this how bad Damon was hurt? She wanted to snap Katherine's neck, "God, Damon. I swear I don't know."

"Then shut up and make me come."

She straightened and leaned away from him. "Fuck you."

"Now you're getting the idea."

She grabbed him and the next thing he knew, she was on top of him. Reaching behind her, she set her hands on his knees. She arched her back and dragged her soaked sex along his rigid length, then slammed back down. She adjusted the angle, lifted and fell again, gasping at the feel of him. Mad as hell or not, her body worshipped his. Loved the feel of him, the sense of _rightness _that was there despite the anger and hurt. His breath was powering out of his lungs with every plunge of her hips. His body was hot, so hot, radiating heat like a blast furnace.

She fucked him with everything she had, pounding herself onto him. His breath hissed out between his clenched teeth. Then he was coming hard, jetting inside her so fiercely. She cried out, loving the feel of it, chasing an orgasm that would shatter her. She was wound so tightly, her body desperate for release after pleasing him.

But he moved, grabbing her by the waist and restraining her movements, holding himself deep as he pumped her full. She choked off a scream when she realized he was deliberately preventing her from coming.

"Tell me why, Katherine," he growled. _"Why?"_

"I don't know!" she yelled, trying to grind her hips onto him as his grip tightened. Holding her pinned to him and filled with his length, Damon pushed to his feet and everything shifted. He pulled out of her, flipped her to face away from him, then bent her over the edge of the bed with her knees on the floor. With one hand at her back, holding her down, he cupped her sex and rubbed. Her hips circled, seeking that perfect bit of pressure to get her off . . . He kept it from her- deliberately.

The pounding in her and the needy clenching of her empty core was driving her mad, her body hungry for release. He pushed two fingers into her and her nails dug into her quilt.. He finger-fucked her leisurely, sliding lazily in and out, keeping her on the edge.

"Damon," she sobbed, the sensitive tissues inside her rippling greedily around him. She was barely able to breathe.

He folded over her back, his length lying in the entrance of her sex.. "Tell me why, Katherine," he crooned in her ear. "You knew I'd be coming after you . . . that I'd find you . . ."

Her eyes squeezed shut, her hands clenching into fists. "I. Don't. Know. Damn you! I don't fucking know!"

His fingers pulled free and then his length was pushing into her. Her sex reveled around the delicious hardness, sucking him deeper. She heard his breath catch on a muffled groan, and then he was taking her.

She cried with the pleasure of it, her entire body shivering with delight as he fucked her thoroughly. The pressure built and built, brewing like a storm . . .

"_Yes_," she gasped, stretched tight with anticipation.

He pulled out at the first grasp of her sex and left her hanging on the precipice again. She screeched with frustration, fighting to get up and away from the lover who'd become the source of unbearable torment.

He whispered in her ear like the devil himself. "Tell me why, Katherine. Are you thinking of him now? Are you wishing it were him inside you? Wishing it were his-"

She cut him off, "I hate you! You're a sadistic, selfish son of a—"

He was in her again, filling her, stroking rhythmically into her quivering core. Unable to stand it a minute longer, she struggled to reach her sex with her fingers, knowing a single stroke would have her coming violently.

"No." Damon caught her wrists and held her hands down on the bed, his thighs between her own, keeping her legs spread wide so he could sink deep. Over and over. The tempo of his thrusts unfaltering and relentless.

She was thrashing, screaming, losing her mind. "I hate you," she sobbed, tears of frustration wetting her face and her sheets beneath her cheek.

Bending over her, he gasped in her ear, "Tell me why, Katherine."

Fury boiled up inside her and spewed out, "Because you deserved it! Because you should know what it feels like! How bad it hurts, you self-centered asshole!"

He stilled. She felt his breath heave out of him. Her blood was roaring in her ears, so loudly.

"Princess," His lips brushed over her lips, his hands releasing her wrists to slide beneath her and cup her full, heavy breasts. "My stubborn, beautiful princess, finally, we get to the truth."

Damon lifted her up, straightening her. Exhausted, her head fell against his shoulder, she had nothing left to fight with, barely able to whimper when he rolled an aching nipple between his fingertips and reached between her splayed legs. His hips began to lunge, his length pumping upward into her as he pinched the lips of her sex and rubbed.

She came with a hoarse cry, her entire body convulsing in fierce tremors as the relief exploded through her. The orgasm lasted forever and Damon was tireless, extending her pleasure with the perfect thrusts she'd been so frantic for earlier.

When she finally collapsed in his arms, panting and soaked with sweat, he lifted her carefully off him and placed her lengthwise on the bed. Shattered, she covered her face with her hands.

She tried to curl away from him, but he just straightened and yanked his shirt off, climbing over her with one knee on the bed and the other leg extended to the floor. He placed his hands on the headboard above her head, putting his body on display as he'd refused to do before.

She shoved at him. "No more! I can't take any more."

"I know." His abs tightened as he slid into her, his eyes on her face as he pushed carefully through swollen tissues. "I just want to be inside you."

Her neck arched as he slid deeper, a low sound escaping her because it felt _sooo _good. As worn out and over- stimulated as she was, she still craved to possess him and to be possessed by him. She knew she always would.

Bending his head, he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Damon." He understood, as she hadn't, that the night had fallen apart because of _her _jealousy and the deep-seated need she had to make him feel it for himself.

He kissed her softly, reverently, erasing every memory of anyone else's lips on her.


	3. Goodbye Stefan

"So does this mean we're over?" Stefan asked blatantly.

"You tell me," Elena hugged her chest. Why did those words tear into her core? She thought she was over Stefan.

"I think that's what this means," Stefan managed to fake a smile and turned to the front porch, "I just- is this because of Damon?" he half- turned.

She leaned against the railing to keep from falling. Of course, everything about her was connected to Damon in some way. She wouldn't admit it to herself but she loved Damon- even though he had disappeared the next morning without a word; even though he hadn't showed up in days; even though she was positive that he'll never get over Katherine.

He made her feel like an insecure, paranoid wreck. He was the only one capable of shattering her into a million shards. But, he was the only one capable of fixing her too, and that, with just one lopsided smirk.

"Damon's gone," her voice cracked, "He left."

"Doesn't he always?" Stefan scoffed, "Goodbye, Elena."

* * *

"Sitting in a graveyard, mourning me, are we?" Katherine giggled as she spotted Damon perched upon a u- shaped branch.

"Katherine," Damon groaned, "Great. Brilliant."

"It's all very Shakespearean if you ask me," she sneered.

"What do you want?" he asked, annoyed.

"Not happy to see me, Damon?" she dragged as she kicked off the ground and landed on the branch above him. She had draped herself even more gracefully and languidly against the oak than Damon had. It had become an unspoken contest.

"Always have to be one step ahead. Some things never do change, do they?" Damon tried not to notice how gloriously beautiful she was.

"If I quiet remember, Damon, you liked to be dominated," she purred seductively.

"Well it has been a century and a half. A lot has changed since then," he muttered and dived to the ground, crouching over a tomb stone.

"Reminiscing about the good old days? Have I told you how inconvenient your obsession with me has been?" she glared at him.

"You and me both, honey," Damon smirked but it seldom reached his eyes, "What do you want?"

"Okay, cutting to the chase, I don't want you to be seeing Elena."

What? Holy hell, was she jealous? "Oh no no no," Damon couldn't contain his amusement, " You do not get to give me relationship advise."

She was standing in front of him in an instant, her nose just inches away from his and Damon stiffened, "How damaged are you, Damon? Always going after your brother's girl."

"Ah, so Stefan sent you to knock sense into me," Damon relaxed, "Are you really that dumb, Katherine? The minute Stefiekins realizes that Elena isn't with me, he'll just go running back to her. You see, she's not a psychotic bitch like you."

Katherine scoffed, "You're not good for her, Damon. Do you not remember what it was like to be human? Are you so selfish to take that all away from her?" Katherine was her usual manipulative self.

Damon was taken aback- this wasn't like Katherine at all. Yes, sure the part where she toyed with people's minds but what did she care about Elena anyway? "Is this your way of showing concern for your great great great grand daughter, Katherine? I mean, of course, after stealing her boyfriend and almost killing Jenna and John."

She continued without blinking, "Don't you miss being human? Do you really want this for her? You do realize that she'll never be able to grow old or find true love or even have kids, don't you?" she twisted a lock of her hair, "She'll never forgive you. And never for a vampire is a fairly long time."

Realization dawned on him- Katherine wanted her blood line to continue. She didn't want it to end with Elena. "Okay, Katherine, game's over. Good night," Damon smirked and turned to leave.

"Not so fast!" Katherine was pinning him against an oak tree, "Let' s not forget that I'm older than you and stronger. It won't take me a second to rip your heart out," she choked him. "Stay away from Elena or I'll kill her myself."

* * *

Elena had spent hours shifting and squirming restlessly in her bed- she couldn't get a wink of sleep. She was so furious with Damon. He had given her the best sex of her life, had made her admit her feelings for him (well, at least one- hundredth of it) and bam! he was just gone? How was that fair?

"God," she groaned as she sat up and reached for her diary. She could hear Alaric and Jenna making crazy noises in the other room, "Perfect, this was exactly what I needed."

She grabbed a pen and started scribbling, frantically.

Damon was lounging in midair, nominally supported by one branch of a…who knew the names of trees anyway? Who gave a damn? It was tall, it allowed him to peep into Elena's bedroom, and it made a comfy backrest. He lay back in the convenient tree fork, hands clasped together behind his head, one neatly booted leg dangling over thirty feet of empty space. He was comfortable as a cat, as he watched her. She should really learn to shut her damn window, he cursed under his breath and almost burst out laughing at the irony- _his _concern for her virtue.

He noticed her frustration as she tied up her hair in a messy ponytail. She was just as beautiful as he last remembered her- or may be more, if that was even possible.

Elena shuffled off her bed and walked out of her room. In a second, Damon was inside. He flipped open her diary, that she had so carelessly left in her bed.

**Dear Diary,**

** My life is falling apart all over again. Stefan is with Katherine- don't even ask. Bonnie won't talk to me, Jeremy is in some stupid rehab and Caroline is being a bitch.**

** Damon- well Damon is just being Damon. **

** This was a bad idea. All along. As if Damon would ever get over Katherine. Or ever want me.**

Damon frowned as he put it back the way she had left it.

Elena closed the fridge with her hip as she tried to juggle the chocolate ice cream in one hand, the steaming cup of hot cocoa in the other and a spoon in her mouth.

Just as she turned toward the stair- case, she ran into Alaric. Alaric with his just- fucked hair, his unkempt stubble and whoa! Elena's mouth dropped open and the spoon clinked against the floor. Holy shit, he was gloriously naked.

She turned away, instinctively covering her eyes with the ice cream box.

"Fuck!" he cursed and raced up the stairs. God, could her night get any worse?


	4. A Salvatore Sandwich

As Damon walked into the Salvatore residence, he sent surges of power to detect if his brother and Katherine were around. Of course, they were- they were in his bed room. Wait what? They had already done it in almost every surface of the building, but now they were just rubbing it in his face.

He shot up the stairs, to his room with an appetite to throw some punches on his little brother's clearly diseased head, "You've got to be kidding me!" he hissed with clenched teeth. This was just beyond his tolerance level, "There are like six other bed rooms in this damn house and you choose this one?" he growled, fixing his focus on Stefan, trying not to look at Katherine- naked and under his brother.

"Hello to you, Damon. I was just missing you," Katherine purred like a wild cat, "You know I'm not used to having just one of you, yet. You're like a team," she shoved Stefan off her and walked to Damon, "The Salvatore brothers, yumm!"

Stefan sat up and hastily covered himself, "What does that even mean?" he looked visibly offended.

Damon stared down at Katherine. Damn, he had forgotten how she affected him. "I means brother," he gulped as he unwillingly shifted his gaze from the gorgeous seductress that was Katherine Pierce to his brother, "You don't have to be so coy. Nothing I haven't seen before."

Stefan was confused now. Nothing he hadn't seen before? What did Damon imply?

Katherine ran a finger down Damon's throat, "Join us, Damon," she whispered as her finger continued to trail down to his chest, "It has been a while since we exchanged our blood," she winked and undid the top button of his shirt.

Damon gasped and recoiled from her, when honestly, all he wanted, was to throw her back in his bed and fuck her senseless.

"Does that mean what I think it does?" Stefan gaped at the drama that was profusely unveiling in front of his eyes. Nothing Damon hadn't seen before- Damon had seen him naked before. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, they had had a threesome? He knew that Katherine was sleeping with them both but together?

"How? When?" Stefan glared at Katherine with what could only be categorized as betrayal.

"Oh, come on Stefan, you haven't changed at all, have you?" Katherine giggled.

"Am I not enough?" Stefan hissed.

"Morals- overload," Katherine rolled her eyes, "Damon on the other hand, was up for it. You're both two sides of the same coin. Good," she turned to Stefan, "and evil," she smirked at Damon. "Light and dark; boring and fun," she sneered as she walked to Damon with deliberate slowness.

Damon wasn't able to focus much on her words but had she just called Steffiekins boring? Well, points for that. "She had to compel you to forget, Stef," he smirked.

"Boring? Oh, I have changed alright," Stefan fumed, "I'm up for anything."

Clever girl, Damon thought. Reverse psychology- works all the time on bimbos.

"What about you, Damon?" Katherine challenged, knowingly, "You over little Miss Sunshine yet?"

Right, so that was what this was about. She wanted to keep him away from Elena. Everything was a game to her. "Yes, dear," he grinned, deciding to beat her at her own game.

Katherine extended her right wrist to Damon and lifted his to her lips. She moaned as she bit into it, tapping a delicious vein. Damon sank his fangs into her. Blood exchange was the most intimate bond for to vampires and Damon was ecstatic as the first luscious drop of her blood warmed his throat.

A wild gasp escaped Stefan as he watched his girlfriend share such intimacy with his brother. In all honesty, it turned him on.

"Gorgeous," he breathed as he sauntered forward like the ripper he was.

Katherine offered her other wrist to him without breaking her link with Damon, but Stefan shook his head with glorious arrogance as he pushed her thick curls aside, tipping her head back o expose her creamy throat.

He traced a vein with his long fingers and bit into it. Katherine moaned and broke away from Damon as Stefan's fangs penetrated deep inside her. Damon, like the predator he was, claimed the other side of her neck.

Katherine was overwhelmed. She squirmed and thrashed, basking in the undivided attention of both the Salvatores.

* * *

Elena pushed the door open without knocking. The last thing she wanted to do was draw Stefan's attention. Or Katherine's. Stefan hadn't been to school in a week, which only meant that he was indulging in loads of extracurricular activities (Translation: hot vamp sex).

She was only here for Damon. After an entire week, she had gathered up the guts to confront him and hence her hazardous visit to the boarding house. Damon's car was in the drive way, not that it assured his presence- vampires didn't need cars to travel, you see, and Damon could just turn into a raven.

She moved through the living room and up the stairs, trying not to cause the floor boards to creak.

Now, this was the difficult part- going past Stefan's room, unnoticed. She tip- toed her way through the corridor and came to an abrupt stop just inches away from Damon's room. Under her feet, lay a daring piece of lace fabric- red lingerie. Katherine. Her legs stayed rooted. She couldn't move- couldn't reason.

Elena had a vague idea of what this meant but she wasn't sure if she wanted to confirm her daunting theory. She wouldn't be able to handle it.

Her heels suddenly felt like 20 feet high twigs and all she wanted to do at the moment was to get as far away from there as possible. Put the boarding house in her rear- view and put at least a thousand miles between the house and her car. But, she needed to know the truth- for all she knew, Stefan and Katherine might be messing around in Damon's room. May be Damon wasn't even home.

She hushed the raging voices in her head that were screaming at her to run for the hills and forced her feet forward.

Yup, it was Stefan humping Katherine from behind. Seeing a former lover in bed with her doppelganger shouldn't have caused as much relief as it did- Elena Gilbert, you're so damaged girl, she thought to herself, merrily, before her eyes, like moths to a flame, drifted under Katherine. Damon?

She gasped as she lost balance and stepped back, snapping her stiletto in the process and dropping to the floor. All three heads turned her way- Stefan, concerned; Katherine, amused and Damon- her eyes blurred before she could find out.


	5. Every Part Of Her Life

"Sorry, hon. Can't serve you more without ID," the bartender smiled apologetically.

"She'll have two shots," Kol Mikaelson fixed his eyes on the bartender's as his pupils dilated.

"Two shots, it is."

Elena grabbed the drinks and drained them almost instantly. "Thanks," she faked a grateful smile.

"Oh, that's no worry at all, darling," Kol smirked, "Alone at last. The Salvatores, hogging all your attention is quite not fair," he pulled a stool next to her.

"The _Salvatores_, won't be getting any of that for a while," she sighed.

"Oh my, someone was wronged tonight, I reckon," Kol flashed a playful grin.

Elena lightened, "You could say that," she wasn't sure if it was Kol's accent or the tequila but she was starting to notice him.

His long eye lashes, the way his eyes glittered every time he displayed his striking smile and how his hair caught bounces of the dim lighting in the grill- he was a charmer. What had taken her so long to realize this? Oh, of course, it was her obsession with Dam- no, she wasn't going to think about him.

"Can I interest you in some food?" he smiled, kindly, "And some wine?"

"Oh, no," she kicked herself, mentally, as soon as she realized that she had declined his offer. What was the matter with her?

"You shouldn't really be drinking with an empty stomach," he admonished and got up, "Need a ride home?"

"I've got my car," she reasoned.

"I'll drive," he decided and carefully led her to her car as she walked, bare- foot.

"Whoa, my bad!" she squeaked, tripping over.

Wasted, Kol reflected. Tsk tsk tsk, kids these days. "In you go," he held open the passenger- side door for her.

"I'll take it from here, thank you," Damon was standing in front of Kol, his face glowering.

"I'm sorry, mate, but Elena needs to get home," Kol towered over Damon.

"People in the 21st century know how to drive, too," Damon pressed.

"Damon?" Elena called out from inside the car, "You came! Yippee!" she clapped, annimatedly.

Damon bent down to see what all the excitement was about, "Just how drunk are you?" he narrowed his eyes.

Hotty Original, was just giving me a ride home," Elena giggled and slapped her mouth shut, "Oopsies, you weren't supposed to hear that," she turned to Kol, wide- eyed.

Kol nodded, amused and settled behind the wheel, "Sorry, Damon, may be next time. When you aren't too busy chasing after Katherine Slutty Pierce," he scoffed.

"You're dead," Damon growled as he yanked Kol out and pitched him to the pavement, "Back off, coffin boy. Geez, I keep forgetting how annoying younger brothers-"

Before Damon could finish his sentence, Kol was sending him flying into the darkness, "You've got it all wrong, darling. I'm Cocky D- bag Original," he winked at Elena who was watching them like a five- year old watched Elmo.

Alaric dashed out of the grill, anxious as he spotted the source of all the commotion- Elena. Obviously, how the girl managed to get into so much trouble, was beyond him.

"Excuse me, sorry," he shoved past the gathered crowd, "I'm her guardian," he explained to Kol and left him hanging as he got inside the car and shut the door,

"Ric!" Elena exclaimed, "You've got clothes on."

"Look at you," Alaric managed to sound stern, but it was a lost- cause. Elena was hung- over, "What's with all the testosterone?" he teased.

"A Salvatore and a Mikaelson fighting over me!" she clapped, "Wasn't that exciting?"

"I think we sent the wrong Gilbert to rehab," Alaric sighed and hit the gas.

"Oh, stop it you," Elena genuinely burst out laughing, "You don't get nearly enough credit for your ready wit, do you?"

Great- more of this, and he was going to make Damon snap his neck, with the ring on, just so he could pass out.

* * *

"Here, drink this," Alaric placed a cup of steaming black coffee in front of Elena.

"What's this?" Elena crinkled her nose, "Eww, looks like ectoplasm."

"Thanks, Ric, for being my knight in shining armor, and saving me from two sociopathic blood- suckers," he mimicked Elena.

Elena went pale as the images came rushing back. God, what was she thinking? She relaxed and took a deep sip of the coffee, "Hmm."

"Well, you're welcome," Alaric smiled, ruffling her hair, "Go to bed," he started to leave.

"No, don't!" Elena gasped. Oh god, please don't go.

"Is something bothering you, Elena?" he sat down beside her on the couch.

"No, I- yes," she sighed.

"I'm not much of a conversationalist," he smiled ruefully.

"I know," Elena sounded weary.

Alaric tensed next to her. He had no idea how to deal with these situations or what to say to her. Damn, he didn't even know why she was upset. Was she missing her parents? Was it because of her break up with Stefan?

He wished Jenna was home- she had to leave to Duke to present her thesis. Of course, they were keeping her in the dark, when it came to the vampires in Mystic Falls and she was oblivious to the fact that her niece was dating a few of them, but in any case, she knew how to comfort her.

He suddenly got off the couch and walked to Jeremy's stereo, "Fancy a bit of Clapton's unplugged?"

Elena peeked up from under her hooded lashes, "Yes, but skip that _Tears in Heaven _song," she managed to smile.

He pressed play and the mood evidently shifted as a slow piece of Clapton on acoustic guitar filled the air, his raspy voice drawing attention to his blues. Conversation seemed inappropriate, impolite even and though Elena was tempted to dance, she just sat still and listened.

"Isn't this something else?" Alaric moved to take the couch opposite her, "You can't beat it."

"Oh, absolutely," she said drily. "Excellent."

"You were probably reared on Clapton, you know? Isobel loved him. Must've played him constantly when you were in the womb."

Momentarily annoyed, Elena said, "Jesus. Is there no corner of my life you haven't got into?" And that sounded all wrong and made them both look in different directions.

She wanted to dance. The jazzy blues made it impossible to sit still, but she couldn't let Alaric misunderstand, not with this new edginess between them.

But he couldn't stay still either. "Come on. We can't sit through this. Up you get."

They took off, stepping across the living room to Clapton's _Layla, _grooving along as only close friends can. Alaric spun her around, brought her in, stepped between her feet and walked her backwards.

"Oi," he said, "Stop trying to lead."

"I'm not," she winked.

The tension between them had eased. Elena laughed at his antics, but when _Layla _ended and a slower song ensued, the air filled again, swiftly. Alaric didn't hesitate, he brought her closer. She conceded easily, resting her cheek on his shoulder, her face turned away. _Running on faith- _hmm, how apt, she thought.

She kept promising herself she would go to bed after the next song, but couldn't. She was enjoying the music too much- she told herself, so she stared ahead, nodding gently to the beat, and when it slowed again, Alaric stiffened.

They danced or rather leaned against each other and rocked a bit, scarcely stopping between tracks. A weight rose from Elena's stomach and settled in her throat, making her breathing shallow. Alaric knew that her hands were shaking, that she was shaking, because the respectable distance with which they usually danced had been squeezed out. They were pressed together, her waist harnessed by his arm, and her face turned in towards his chin. They swayed, taking an occasional step in deference to the beat.

He laced his fingers through hers, brought their hands against his shoulder. Elena tried to think about something else- something mundane- like laundry and shopping lists, but the song, wrapped itself around them, ever more seductive, pushing them closer and warning them all at once.

He ran his knuckles across her cheek, but the gesture failed to restore fondness. Instead, their eyes held steady. He put her arms around his neck to pull her closer. Her heart skipped a beat. Clapton picked off a solo.

Alaric's hand moved across her back. He rubbed his chin along her face. Kissed her cheek. Hesitated. Breathed against her ear. Moments passed before he kissed her cheek again, and again. Then he kissed the side of her mouth and stayed that way, lingering on the edge of her lips.

They moved minimally, in some pretense of dancing, as they waited, in their half- kiss, for courage to bring him around. He could still go back, she thought, he could still abort. No, he couldn't, they agreed. And so he kissed her, fully.

Clapton finished with a light flourish, his audience roared appreciation. She continued their kiss, with no intention to break free, even for air.

Alaric broke away suddenly and she gasped, breathing heavily. He took her hands from his neck and put them by her side, "Bed. Go to bed."

She opened her mouth to argue but he put his finger to her lip, "Please," he pressed his lips in a tight line, "Not now."


	6. Uninvited

Elena made sure that all the windows in the house were shut, before she went to Jeremy's room and locked the door. She wouldn't face Damon's rage, not tonight. Looking at all her brother's stuff helped keep her head clear.

She leaned against the door, exasperated. What had just happened? She tried to catch her breath as she sank to the floor. God, if Jeremy ever found out that she was having dirty thoughts about Ric, he would convulse.

Just the thought of him, sleeping in the next room, made her anxious. Did she want this? If she didn't, why wasn't she regretting it? It had felt so good to dance with him- so right, although she knew that it wasn't.

She could still feel his hands around her waist, her palms on his shoulders. She had felt so safe, so secure, like she belonged, unlike with Stefan. Or even Damon for that instance. Probably, because he's human and they weren't. But he was with Jenna, for crying out loud.

She heard a faint whisper of noise downstairs. She had known he would find a way to get in if he wanted. If Damon was that determined, no lock would keep him out.

Elena got up and unlocked the door. The hallway was dark, but her eyes had time to adjust. She could see the dark silhouette making its way up the stairs. When it reached the top she saw the swift, deadly glimmer of his smile.

She waited, until he reached her and stood facing her, with only a yard of hard wood floor between them. The house was completely silent. Across the hall, Alaric slept unaware of what was going on outside his door.

Damon said nothing, but he looked at her, his eyes taking in her long, toned legs in her shorts and lacy white camisole. She forced herself to stand quietly, but her mouth was dry and her heart was thudding against her chest.

She backed up, without a word or gesture of invitation, leaving the door way empty. She saw the quick flare in his smoldering eyes, and watched him come eagerly toward her. And watched him stop.

He stood just outside Jeremy's room, plainly disconcerted. He tried again to step forward but could not. Something seemed to be preventing him from moving any further. On his face, surprise gave way to puzzlement and then anger.

He looked up, his eyes raking over the lintel, scanning the ceiling on either sides of the threshold. Then, as the full realization hit him, his lips pulled back from his teeth in an animal snarl.

Safe on her side of the door, Elena laughed softly. It had worked, "Jeremy's room and the back yard below are all that's left of the old house," she explained, "And, of course, that was a different dwelling place. One you weren't invited into, and never will be."

His chest was heaving with anger, his eyes wild, waves of fury emanated from him. He looked as if he would tear the walls down with his hands, which were twitching and clenching with wrath, "I'm starving, Elena, and I haven't had warm blood from the vein in like forever," he hissed, "Don't tempt me."

"Uh, I wouldn't say that. You looked like you had your share of 'warm blood from the vein' today," she flashed a sarcastic smile, "Oh, you meant from a human."

"What were you doing with Kol?" he growled.

Elation and relief made Elena giddy, "You'd better go now," she said, "There's nothing for you here."

One minute more his menacing eyes blazed into hers, and then Damon calmed down, "Come out," he whispered.

Elena started forward before she knew what she was doing. She stopped in the doorway, grasping the door frame, her breath rushing out.

She paled, "Did you just compel me?" she squeaked in disbelief, "You promised you won't!"

"Stop," Damon ground his teeth in frustration, "You weren't supposed to see me with Katherine. You took me by surprise."

"Good I did," she looked away.

"What do you want from me?" Damon looked like he was going to break. All his anger was gone and was now replaced by pure anguish.

"Love, Damon. That's all I wanted," saying the l- word out was a relief.

"I can't," Damon groaned, "I can't be Stefan for you."

"Why do you always do this?" Elena asked, exhausted.

"Do what?"

"Push people away. You knew didn't you? You knew that I was in the house. You would've caught my scent or heard me. But, you wanted me to see you with Katherine," she voiced the one theory that was troubling her all day long, "You wanted me to back off."

Damon stared at her, impassive, "Let me in, Elena. Let me make it up to you," he pleaded. So, she was right.

"No," Elena folded her arms to her chest. She wasn't going to let him distract her with sex.

"That's all I know," Damon stood, motionless.

"You know what I can't handle?" she bowed her head to conceal the helpless tears that came to her eyes, "That you would even want to hurt someone the way Katherine hurt you. I'm done being your someone, Damon. Time to get yourself a new toy," and with that she banged the door shut.

* * *

Elena stirred then, opened heavy eyelids. Light framed the edges of the curtains. She couldn't move, she just lay still and tried not to remember the previous night. She had other priorities, like facing Alaric and her friends.

Pushing her blankets off, she rose from the bed. She could hear Alaric moving around in the hallway. God, like she had accused him the previous night, he was in every part of her life, and facing him in school was going to be tricky. She reached to the bed- side table, for her diary, but it wasn't there. Fear shot through her as she frantically searched her room and Jeremy's. It was nowhere to be found. Damon took it?

Elena went rigid, anxiously trying to comprehend what this meant. Her eyes bulged when her head finally judged the situation at hand. She would eventually confront him, asking back for her diary. That was his master plan? Geez, if he reads my last entry, he'll bust a vein, her mind reeled with uncertainty.

She showered hastily and put on the most modest piece of clothing she owned and went to the kitchen. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart fluttered away to glory, as she spotted Alaric. Get a grip, will you? It's not like he's naked in the shower. He's just making a sandwich for god's sake.

She noticed that the corner of his mouth was smeared with ketchup and his hair was as disheveled as always, she wanted to run her fingers through it. God, was he taunting her? She groaned and grabbed the milk from the fridge.

"Good morning to you, Grumpy," he smiled at her and eye- stalked her around the kitchen. She didn't say a word or even look at him. Damn, I fucked up, he thought.

He watched her as she poured the cold milk in the cereal and shoved it in her mouth.

"Someone's having Monday morning blues," he attempted to lighten the mood.

She met his gaze and immediately looked down at her cereal. She couldn't let him affect her this bad. She got up to wash her bowl.

"Elena," Alaric stood up, blocking the sink.

She looked at her feet and outside the window and then checked her nails, but she couldn't look at him- not without wanting to jump his bones.

"Look at me," he said, softly.

"I don't need a lecture, Ric," she whispered.

"You're not going to get one," he smiled patiently, "You were drunk and last night- well, last night was a mistake, he stuttered.

"Were you drunk too?" she put her bowl on the table and scrutinized him, not backing out.

His expression turned to bewilderment and he managed to open his mouth, "Jenna can't know."

"Sure," she grinned and turned to leave, "I'll see you at school."


	7. Graveyard Girl

"Alaric? Seriously?" Damon scoffed.

"Back off, Damon," Elena narrowed her eyes, "And give me my diary."

"Sorry, don't have it. But honestly, Elena, you could do a whole lot better than your history professor," Damon was enjoying this, "And let's not forget, your biological mother's, ex husband, and, your aunt's boyfriend," he smirked as he gulped down his bourbon.

"Says the guy, who slept with my mother, and turned her into a vampire," Elena crinkled her nose, "And let's not forget, is having an affair, with my great great great grandmother or whatever. Now give me my diary before I make you."

"Oh, by all means, princess, make me," he winked.

"Screw you," Elena was about to punch his nose in.

"Easy," Katherine cut in, sprawling across the couch, "I see you kids are fighting again."

"Rebekah has it," Damon cleared his throat.

"What?" Elena squeaked.

"She probably took it last night," his lips twitched, but he managed to look sincere, "I have this feeling that she doesn't like you very much. Tsk tsk tsk, that could be a problem."

She knew that face- it could only mean one thing- he slept with Rebekah. "Why?" she whispered, faintly.

"It's only fair. I mean, you were all over Kol," he stated matter- of- factly, "And if I remember precisely, you broke up with me."

"Everything is a game to you, isn't it?" Elena walked to him and placed her palm on his cheek, "I say this because I care, Damon, if you keep pushing people away you're going to end up alone."

"Back at ya, baby," he grinned.

* * *

Elena walked through the crowded corridors in silence, considering what Damon's words had meant. She pushed people away- Matt and Stefan. And John. Was she any different from Damon, at all? He knew her so well, she felt so vulnerable and exposed around him, as if her skin was inside- out.

As she passed the office, her eyes caught a piece of green paper, pinned to the bulletin board. She should've known that Rebekah wouldn't be satisfied, with just letting her know, that her private thoughts had been read. She had to show her that they could be made public.

Elena ripped the note off the board and crumpled it, but not before getting a glimpse. It was a part of her last entry. The one about Alaric.

She rushed to the rest room and standing over the wastebasket, shredded the note into microscopic pieces, breathing as if she'd run a marathon. She noticed that it was a post- it as she ripped the last tiny shred of the paper, caught between tears. She was going to kill Damon. She wished she could give him aneurysms like Bonnie could- being human was over-rated.

But, as tempting as it was, to join Bonnie in her 'Anti- Damon movement', getting her diary back from Rebekah, before the whole school thought that she was sleeping with Ric, seemed to prioritize itself.

She decided to go to class now and rip up a plan later. As she walked into History, Rebekah gave her a vicious smirk, like it wasn't conspicuous already. Elena just walked across the room, pretending to not notice. Once she settled in her desk though, she saw the class board and her heart lurched to a stop.

The board was covered with pages from her diary. The ones about Damon- of course, Rebekah hadn't exposed his 'secret' but hers, were laid out like bare shit and the one about her feelings for Ric. She felt like she was naked in front of a crowd.

She turned to look at Bonnie, who was intently going through her entries, in disbelief. She was screwed.

"Shouldn't have stabbed me in the back," Rebekah giggled, "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?"

Sure that she was going to break down any moment now, she got up, her eyes brimming with tears and just then Alaric entered the room.

This day could not get any better, Elena thought, as she observed his reaction. Just when she was positive that he was going to ground her for eternity, his expression turned from worry to what seemed like satisfaction, and then his face creased with concern as his eyed fell on her.

He nodded, understanding her need to flee from the area, and as if on cue, Elena dashed out of the class.

* * *

Elena placed the daisies she had picked up in the way on her parents' grave and withdrew her hands almost immediately, as she heard soft footsteps against the weeds. The whole cemetery seemed to go mute as she turned and scanned the distance for another life's presence. The place was detached and uninhabited. Of course it was uninhabited- it's a cemetery, she curled her legs under her and just sat.

She'd come here often after the accident. She let her mind leaf back through memories, and the lump in her throat swelled, and the tears came easier. She missed them so much, still. She was lucky to have Aunt Jenna, of course.

It wasn't every aunt who would put aside their life and move back into a small town to take care of two orphaned kids. Alaric, was more like a father to Jeremy and Elena knew that Jenna loved him- deserved him. Ric had always been off- limits and always would be. It just took Rebekah's mortifying revenge conspiracy and a visit to the cemetery, to get it into her head.

A shadow fell over her, and she looked up, startled. For an instant, the figure standing over her looked alien, vaguely menacing. She stared, frozen.

"Elena," groaned the familiar voice, "A cemetery? This is your epic hide- out?"

Elena blinked and then sighed. It was Damon. "What does a person have to do to get a little privacy around here?" she said as he sat down.

"Ask me to go away," Damon suggested, but Elena just shrugged. "I'm sorry," Damon said, in a soft voice.

Elena's eyes popped out. Did he just apologize? "Say it again," she grinned.

"Even better," he smiled as he pulled out her diary from his leather coat and placed it on her lap.

Elena gawked at him incredulously, "What's the catch? A three way with you and Katherine?"

"Are you offering, princess?" Damon flashed his signature smirk. "Katherine wants you to have a normal human life," his face twisted with uncertainty.

What? "Why does she care?" Elena asked, bewildered. What was Katherine up to this time?

"I have this weird feeling that it's got something to do with your lineage," Damon said, deep in thought.

"My lineage? You mean Katherine's lineage?" Elena's mind stepped on over- drive. A normal, human life- growing up, procreating, passing on the gene. Damn, Katherine wanted her bloodline to continue.

She gasped as full realization struck at her like a bat out of hell. Katherine must have threatened Damon to stay away from her. But, why would that have any effect on him? He was Damon, for crying out loud.

"What is she holding against you?" Elena put her hand on Damon's.

He gaped at her, amazed. It was like the girl could read his mind. "You," he whispered, pain invading his stunning features.


	8. Where's The Distance?

It was too much to take in, all at once. This was all just a cover- up? She was moping around for nothing? Damon had gone to the extent of making her loathe him, just to protect her from Katherine. The revelation was overwhelming.

He studied her face as she stared at him, flustered, her soft eyes piercing his. Without a word, she stood up and held out her hand to him. He narrowed his eyes, "What about Katherine?"

"Good thing she's not around," she flushed and led him into the woods surrounding the cemetery. She reached a patch of Red wood trees and stopped.

"No," Damon squeezed his eyes shut, "We shouldn't."

"I've wanted this for so long, Damon. You and I," Elena peeled off his coat, "Us. But, Katherine made it impossible."

"No," Damon breathed.

"Now, I know, I know that you-" she stammered as she frantically unbuttoned his shirt.

Damon pushed her to a tree and restrained her, "No!" he hissed at her, gathering all his resolve.

"Don't deny me, Damon," Elena leaned against the tree, panting, "Not this time."

He let go of her and pulled back, "This is wrong."

Elena reached down to the hem of her dress and stripped, "Does this look wrong?" she stood in front of him in her lacy black lingerie.

Damon looked away. How was he supposed to resist that?

She walked to him and placed her palm on his chest, against his racing heart, "Does this feel wrong?" she searched his face for approval but he just closed his eyes, disconcerted.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, "This? Is this wrong?" she moaned into his mouth.

"Screw Katherine," he sighed in defeat and swept her against the tree. He lifted both of her hands above her head and held it there with one hand. His other hand grabbed her hair and yanked it down, bringing her face up, forcing her to look into his ardent, fiery eyes.

She gasped and his mouth swooped down, kissing her, violently. Desire exploded through her body, and she was kissing him back, matching his passion, her hands grabbing his hair, pulling it, hard.

He groaned, a low, sexy sound in the back of his throat that echoed through her, and his hand moved down her body to the top of her thigh, his fingers digging into her flesh.

He broke off the kiss, letting her breathe. His eyes burned with desire, "I like this on you," he snarled and reached the edge of her lace panties and he slipped his fingers under the hem. She felt him rub against her sex, before plunging his finger inside her. She closed her eyes, and bit her lip trying to stifle her groan. When she finally peeked up at him, his eyes were wild with lust.

"Fuck," he growled, "You're so wet."

She glanced down and could see him hard, straining against his denims.

With his eyes on her, he withdrew his finger and fisted the thin lace of her panties in his hand. He was shaking, fury and lust in his eyes. "Too bad I like it off you, more," in one quick movement he tore them from her body, the rip of the fabric echoing in the silence.

He pulled her hips roughly, lifting her legs off the ground and spreading her thighs in front of him. She moaned as he returned to rubbing roughly against her sex. Her body craved his touch. Not the same gentle loving touches she was accustomed to, but working her body into an animalistic frenzy. Her head fell back as she leaned back against the tree, feeling her looming orgasm approaching fast.

But then he stopped, removing his hand from inside her and she throbbed from the loss. She whimpered loudly as her head flew up to look at him. She sat up quickly taking the front of his shirt in her fists and pulling his lips roughly against hers. She bit his lower lip as her hands made quick work down to the front of his jeans, undoing his belt hastily, "You better finish what you started, Damon."

He growled and took her bra in his hands and ripped it open. He gripped her breasts roughly, shooting such a pleasurable pain through her body, and causing her hands to quicken their motions to unfasten his pants and shove them, along with his boxers to the ground. She gripped his thick hard length in her hand and squeezed, feeling it pulse against her palm. "Oh I intend to do more than that, princess," he smirked.

He suddenly pushed her back to the tree. Before she could utter a single word, she felt him take a hold of her ankles and thrust his hard length deep inside her. "Fuck!" she screamed loudly.

"That's right," he hissed through clenched teeth, as his hips rapidly slammed against her, driving his length deeper. She couldn't hold back the moans and screams. "Never been fucked like this before have you? You wouldn't be such a tease if you were," he knew how she loved dirty talking. Stefan could never satisfy her. Pity.

She'd never had sex anywhere but on a bed, and it never felt like this. He felt so damn good inside her, and it awakened things she hadn't even known existed. "I've had better," she taunted, breathlessly, looking up at him through narrowed eyes.

His eyes flared and he pulled out just as she was about to come. She growled at him as he let go of her ankles. At first she thought he was actually going to leave her this way, until he grabbed her arms and yanked her up, crashing his lips against hers again. The next thing she felt was the cold, rocky ground against her ass, and she groaned at the intense contrasts in temperature between it and her skin. She felt like she was on fire, every part of her wanted to feel his rough touch.

"You really shouldn't have said that, princess," he snarled angrily as he pulled away and quickly turned her around pressing her front against the ground and kicking at her feet. "Spread your legs. Now!"

She obliged and parted her legs for him, he grabbed her hips, pulling her back roughly and stabbing her on his length again.

"Fuck!" she cried.

"You like that don't you?" he sneered.

She moaned in response, unable to form words with each repeated thrust into her.

"Say it. Do you want to come, Elena? Answer me or I'll stop and make you suck me off instead," he hissed, driving himself deeper and deeper inside her with every thrust.

"Yes, fuck yes! oh my god!" Elena exclaimed as her hands slammed against the mud, her entire body quaking from the orgasm that was rushing over her, leaving her gasping for air. When it finally subsided, he pulled out of her and spun her around to face him, his lips meeting hers again aggressively.

Her hands found his hair and tugged at fistfuls of it, as their tongues slid against each other. She released one hand and brought it down to his throbbing erection between them and began stroking him briskly, causing his groans to echo in her mouth. She pulled away from his lips, staring at him with hooded eyes, "Now I want to see your face as I make you come so hard you forget your name," she breathed, getting on her knees and taking his entire length in her mouth.

His entire body tensed and he let out a deep moan, as she licked and sucked every delicious inch of him. He fisted his hands in her long hair, but he was paralyzed by the sensation. He was helpless to stop this. When she moaned around his length, he felt every tremor of her voice vibrate against him. He groaned and when he felt her teeth slide against him, he couldn't hold back anymore.

"Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!" he shouted, as his orgasm ripped through him and his come shot down her throat. And then she released him and he was left gasping and stumbling and shaken_. _She looked up at him, his palms and forehead resting on the tree, his eyes closed tight.

"Let's go home, I want to go to bed," she stood up and put on Damon's coat.

"Aw, did I wear you out, princess?" he teased as he reached for his jeans.

"Who said anything about wanting to go to sleep?" Elena winked.

* * *

"Oh, God." Elena's hands fisted the sheets beneath her, her back arching as Damon pinned her hips to the bed and fluttered his tongue across her sex. Her skin was coated in a fine sheen of sweat, her vision blurring as her core tightened viciously in preparation for orgasm.

She'd come twice already, as much from the sight of his dark head between her legs as from his wickedly gifted mouth.

"I'm ready," she pushed her fingers into his hair, feeling the dampness at the roots. His restraint was costing him.

"I'll decide when you're ready," he snarled.

"I want you inside-" Elena bit her lip, trying not to scream, "Damon!"

"You need to shut up, Elena," Damon chuckled, "Ric's in the next room."

"Please!"

"You're so sensitive now," lifting his head, he licked his lips, "You're coming like crazy."

She gasped, "I'd come harder if you were inside me."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"It doesn't matter if I get a little sore now," she argued.

Something sparked in the depths of his gaze. He rose up, "No, Elena."

"Why am I always begging you?" she accused, getting on her elbow.

"You really want to play that card, princess?" he said, his voice even.

"If that's what it takes."

"I know what you mean," he straightened, then knelt on the foot of the bed and crawled toward her like a sleek panther on the prowl, "You ache without me inside you. You'll say anything to have me there."

"Yes," Elena moaned.

He hovered over her, his hair falling in a dark curtain around his face. Tilting his head, he lowered his mouth and lightly traced the seam of her lips with the tip of his tongue, "You crave it. You feel empty without it."

"Damon, I swear to god!" she gripped his hips, arching upward to try to feel his body against her. She never felt closer to him than when he was making love to her, and she needed that closeness now.

He settled between her legs, his erection lying hard and hot between the lips of her sex. "It'll hurt you a little when I push all the way in, and there's no help for that- you're tight. Sometimes I lose control and get rough, and there's no help for that, either," he grinned.

Sometimes? That's an understatement, she thought, "I want you," she breathed, rubbing her sex along his heated length.

"Not yet," he moved, rolling his hips to find her. He pushed gently against her, parting her, spreading her open as he slipped just the tip inside. She writhed against the tight fit, her body resisting, "You're not ready yet."

"Fuck me. God, just fuck me!"

He reached down with one hand and grabbed her hip, stemming her frenzied attempts to push up and take more of him, "You're swollen."

She fought his hold. Her nails dug into the tight curves of his back and she tugged him against her. She didn't care that it might hurt. If she didn't get him in her, she was going to lose her mind.

"Give it to me."

Damon slid his hand into her hair, fisting it to hold her where he wanted her, "Look at me."

"Damon!" Elena whined.

"Look at me."

She stilled at the command in his voice. She stared up at him, her frustration melting as she watched a slow, gradual transformation sweep over his handsome face. His features tightened first, as if he was pained. A wince knit his brow. His lips parted with a gasp, his chest beginning to heave with labored breaths. His skin grew hot, searing her. But what mesmerized her most was his piercing blue eyes and the unmistakable vulnerability that sifted through them like smoke.

Her pulse quickened in response to the change in him. The mattress shifted as he dug his feet in, his body bracing, "Elena," he breathed, "You don't have to be Katherine for me."

All the while he looked at her, looked into her eyes. She saw what he'd wanted her to see- the point he'd wanted to make.

Katherine could probably go all night. She was a vampire, after all. That was the reason she was being so persistent? She wanted to be better than Katherine? Elena gasped, understanding. How did Damon know things about her, that she didn't know herself?

He released her hip and let her rock upward, let her seek the perfect pressure to set her off. With his eyes still on her, he began to thrust, stroking through the trembling walls of her sex. Claiming her. Possessing her.

"Ask me to stop and I will," he whispered, reminding her of what he had meant.

She moaned as she rippled in climax, tightening and squeezing, greedily.

"Feel that?" Damon's tongue traced her lips, his breath gusting in humid pants, "You've got me wrapped around your little finger. Where's the distance, princess?"

And right then, Elena knew that she was falling hard.


	9. Looking For My Next Shot

"Elena, hey," Matt grinned as he placed her coffee on the table, "How've you been? Long time since I saw you around in the grill. What've you been up to?"

"Hey," she greeted him, faltering. Something was unusual about him.

"You here with someone?" he asked, a little too high- spirited.

She stared at him, perplexed. He wasn't himself. "I'm alone," she smiled.

He nodded and left. Was she imagining things or had Matt been too animated?

She spotted Damon across the grill, by the pool table. Playing pool huh? Pretty convincing, she rolled her eyes.

She watched him as he skillfully racked the balls on the baize. He then chalked the cue and bent over the table, positioning himself to strike. An involuntary sigh escaped her as she observed his muscles tighten before he lined up the white ball and with a swift stroke, hit the center of the triangle, pocketing four balls, simultaneously.

"Show off," she muttered to herself but Damon looked up and smirked, making her pulse quicken.

He put the cue on the table, "Show me what you've got, princess," he teased as he walked past her, to the bar.

"Katherine?" she whispered, hoping he'd hear her.

He looked around and gestured her to go on as he settled into his bar stool.

She proceeded to the table and picked the cue up. Who was she kidding? She sucked at pool. Concentrating hard, she managed to sink a striped ball into the top- left pocket.

Pleased, she looked up at him, watching her with hooded eyes. Glad that she was wearing her low- cut blouse and her shorts, she stalked around the table, bending low at every available opportunity, giving Damon an eyeful. Two can play at that game. She glanced at him.

"I know what you're doing," he mouthed, narrowing his eyes.

She tilted her head to one side, gently fondling her cue, running her hand up and down it slowly, "Just looking for my next shot," she whispered and pocketed another ball.

We've gone to ambiguity now, Damon thought, amazed.

Leaning across, Elena hit the green stripe into a better position. She then stood, her back facing him and leaned right over the table. She heard Damon gasp behind her and missed. Crap.

"You waving this around to taunt me, princess?" he smacked her behind.

"Uhuh," she breathed.

"Careful," he wandered to the other end and leaned over. Damn, she could look at him all day.

Just when he was about to take his shot, she cut in, "I win and you take me to your bed."

He wrenched back, missing the yellow and she grinned.

"Damon Salvatore's bed, here we come!"

He glared at her and directed her to continue. She made quick work of the yellow and by some fluke, knocked in the final orange too.

"Name your pocket," Damon murmured, like he was talking about something else, something dirty.

"Top- right," she took aim over the black, hit it and it skirted in. Woah!

Damon shook his head in disbelief and amazement. He flashed a wicked grin, his eyes burning into hers, "My bed, it is."

* * *

Elena stirred and opened her eyes to the faint light in Damon's room. Damon was fast asleep beside her- his face so serene, his expression so gullible, vulnerable even.

She had never pictured him like this. She observed the steady rises and falls of his chest. Trying not to wake him, she carefully pressed her lips to his forehead. His brows puckered and in seconds, relaxed again. He was excruciatingly beautiful.

She could say the same about the previous night. Damon had sneaked her into his room, through the balcony and luckily, Katherine and Stefan hadn't been home. It was so weird- Damon being so secretive and paranoid like a teenager, but she understood that he was only doing it for her.

They had spent hours in his bath tub, in his bed, on the floor, against the wall and in the shower, until Damon finally put his foot down and refused.

* * *

"Let's not overdo it," he had warned when she'd implored for more.

That was when she had settled in his lap and tilted her head to one side, giving him access to her neck.

Damon had been shocked, "Don't," he had admonished her, although every instinct was forcing him to rip into her coronary.

"I've never done this before, Damon," Elena had looked at him with eager eyes, "Stefan and I- we've never blood shared. You're my first. I want to cross this line with you."

You mean you're unicorn bait?" Damon's eyed had glittered with concealed lust.

Elena had nodded, shoving her hair aside, "Drink from me."

Damon had all but ordered her to go to bed, "Go to sleep before I compel you to, princess," he had managed to say.

His breaths were coming out in hisses. The sound of warm blood pulsating under her gorgeous neck was enough to send him into a frenzy.

Elena hadn't been gracious enough to take no for an answer. She had kissed him, fervently, and when he had opened his mouth in response, she had traced the tip of his canine with her tongue. Stroking it, provoking him, until it had protruded like a razor and cut her lip.

Damon had shuddered as the first drop of Elena's blood saturated his throat. He hadn't been able to contain his desire anymore. His focus had shifted to her angled neck. He then caught a glimpse of another crystal of luscious blood ooze out of her lower lip and she had had him where she wanted.

Her lips had twitched in a triumphant grin and Damon had gloriously given in. She knew exactly what she was doing, sexy wench that she was.

* * *

Pleased with herself, Elena, gently got out of Damon's bed and tip-toed to the bathroom. She looked a bit flushed. She decided to brush her teeth and then search for her clothes which Damon had tossed around the previous night.

As she gargled and brought her head up, Damon wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him, "Morning, princess," he cast an enchanting smile, relaxed and so at ease.

"I'm never going to get used to you, sneaking up on me like this," she said, calming her racing heart as she realized what she had really meant.

"Come back to bed," Damon kissed her tenderly, like she was fragile, contrary to how he usually did.

"You're adorable when you're half asleep," she giggled.

"Bed. It's hardly four," he yawned.

"I don't want to risk it. Jenna will be home at 6," Elena searched around for her dress and finally spotted it, "You know, you owe me two pairs of lingerie," she reminded him.

"Lingerie shopping, huh? The guy who invented online shopping, may he rest in peace," Damon winked, "Stef's card might be up for some swiping."


	10. Doppelganger Hijinks

**Sorry for the delay, guys. I wasn't sure if I wanted to post this chapter, but I changed my mind. So, here you go :)**

* * *

Elena cautiously shut the door, pressing down the knob to avoid making a racket. She had promised Jenna that she wouldn't stay out at nights, while she was away- not that she had a history of keeping promises, but it made her guilty, nevertheless.

"Is this the Elena Gilbert version of the walk of shame?" Alaric called out from the kitchen.

Elena cringed at the sound of his groggy voice. Had he stayed up all night?

"Elena, we need to talk," Alaric gestured her to sit down.

Elena consciously wrapped herself with whatever was remaining of her clothing as she settled into a chair. Alaric had no idea about her and Damon and she was convinced that he would hit the roof if he did.

"Does this mean you're back with Stefan?" Alaric made a feeble attempt to not notice her post- orgasmic glow.

Damn, what was she supposed to say to that? Damon had made it tremendously clear that he didn't want anyone knowing about them yet- at least, not until he managed to figure out what Katherine's exact motives were.

"Yes," she lied.

"So, you guys talked it out?" Alaric evidently relaxed. Since when was he, 'Team Stefan'?

"We did," Elena looked away, "You and Jenna have something planned out? It's a Saturday," she turned the spotlight on him.

"She wants to go to that stupid founder's party, tonight," he made a face.

Elena smiled apologetically. Jenna could be too gregarious at times. Alaric on the contrary, was… reticent.

"Are you joining us or do you have a hot date?" Alaric teased.

"Oh uh, Stefan and I, we're taking it slow," she blushed. Lying to Ric was really tricky, "I thought I would go alone. You know, smooth things out with Bonnie." And that wasn't going to be a piece of cake, either.

* * *

"Ric!" Damon dragged as he spotted Alaric miserably abandoned in the Lockwood's yard, "A tux, I approve," he winked

"Hey, dick," Alaric returned a smile, "God, I hate these parties," he groaned.

"Tell me about it," Damon grimaced. He knew what Alaric meant. Founder's parties were a means to distract the town while the council held secret meetings to bitch about the vampire situation, and since Elijah had hauled Klaus to New Orleans, the council was as good as dead. There hadn't been a single council meeting in weeks and Damon hadn't had a chance to team up with his buddy against any bad- ass vampire in what seemed like forever.

"What about Kol?" Alaric lowered his voice.

"For all I know, he's out of town too," Damon scoffed, "And Original Barbie is too busy living her pseudo- human life."

"May be I should just tell the council that you're a vampire," Alaric joked.

"Or we could just stake Katherine," Damon frowned.

Alaric knew that Katherine was a touchy subject for him, but Damon didn't even wince at the mention of her name. His face just turned skeptic.

"Baby bro's keeping her sober."

"Stefan? Stefan's still with Katherine?" Alaric narrowed his eyes.

"Guys!" both their heads turned to the direction of Elena's voice. Damon glanced nervously and stilled when he saw her. He blinked a couple of times, and then flashed a lazy, sexy smile that rendered her speechless and all molten inside. Making a supreme effort not to jump his bones right there, Elena moved forward aware that, Alaric was gawking at her as well.

"You look stunning," Damon mouthed.

Elena turned crimson under his appreciative stare, "Have you guys seen Bonnie?"

"The witch shouldn't be hard to find. Must be lurking around in the bushes, stalking me," he smirked.

Elena rolled her eyes. It was high time Damon and Bonnie called it quits, "Give it a rest, Damon. Would it kill you to be nice to her?"

"I'll be nice to her when she stops popping my blood vessels like bubble wrap."

"Well, you did turn her mother into a vampire!"

"I turned your mother into a vampire too, princess, but I don't see you going around giving me aneurysms, do I?"

"Oh, if I only could," Elena scowled.

"What are you guys? 12?" Alaric cut them off.

* * *

Katherine anxiously scanned through the gathered guests as she sipped her champagne, reluctantly. Gretchia was supposed to meet her ten minutes ago, and she was going to stake herself if she had to pretend like her tedious, little doppelganger for as much as another minute.

"Kat?" a tall, dark haired woman approached her, "You look uh, not like you," she frowned.

"That would be because I'm impersonating my tasteless doppelganger who could use some serious mascara and highlights," she grumbled, "Let's get out of here."

"Let me guess. You haven't changed your mind," Gretchia offered her a faint smile.

"Would that be a problem?" Katherine demanded as she scurried her into an empty chamber.

"You want me to awaken the dead. I'm afraid I can't disrupt the balance of the nature, baby."

"No no no, don't turn your back on me now, Gretch," Katherine almost growled, "I've been doing everything like you asked. Elena is still human and the meteor shower is in two months."

"That's just half of it," Gretchia sighed.

"So, tell me. I- you know I'll do anything," Katherine hissed, frantically.

* * *

Bonnie was beyond furious. What was Elena thinking, sending Damon to deliver her apologies? She was surprised he even cared, with all that Original sex he'd been having.

"Bonnie," Katherine spotted her stomping down the corridor. Just the person she was looking for.

"Not now, Elena," Bonnie groaned, "Look, I know that you're with Damon now, but that doesn't change the horrible things that he has done."

Katherine stared at her, bewildered.

"That was the worst attempt at an apology, ever. You might be okay with everything that he has done, but I never will be," Bonnie continued to holler, "I understand that your break up with Stefan has been hard on you, but Damon? Is he like your rebound or something?"

Conspicuously, Damon was sneaking around with the nasty skank. How had she not deciphered that?

"I say this because I care, Elena, but Damon can never be good for you," Bonnie laid it out, candidly.

"No, you're right, Bonnie. I shouldn't be with Damon," Katherine smiled wickedly.

* * *

"Elena is riding with us, isn't she?" Jenna took her jacket from Alaric.

"Yes, let me go find her," Alaric gave her a sweet, chaste kiss before he walked back in.

"Jenna," Damon greeted her, "You look lovely."

"There you are," Jenna beamed.

"Were you looking for me?" Damon asked playfully.

"Get over yourself, ass," Jenna swatted him, "Where the hell is Elena?"

"I'm here. Ric asked us to wait by the car," Elena wiggled her way through the guests, "Goodbye, Damon," Elena took Jenna's hand and started for the parking lot.

Before he could get a word out, he saw Bonnie hastily scuttling toward him.

"Damon- Katherine- she's- here," she said breathlessly.

"What?" Damon asked confused, "Bonnie, relax, she must be here with Stefan."

"No- earlier she pretended to be- Elena," she said between gasps.

"What do you mean she pretended, Bonnie?" Damon hissed, "You're a freaking witch, for god's sake! You couldn't figure it out?" Damon's mind was reeling with uncertainty.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my head was a bit preoccupied with the fact that my best friend was sleeping around with a demented sociopath, who snaps and kills people," Bonnie was going to rip his eyes off his sockets.

"Wait, what did you tell her?" Damon gripped Bonnie's shoulders, "What did you tell her when she pretended to be Elena? What did she want?"

"Damon! God, let her go," Alaric and Elena rushed to the front porch.

"What the hell did you tell her, Bonnie?" Damon was literally snarling through his teeth.

"What do you think? I was asking her to stay away from you," Bonnie squeaked.

Damon released her and in the blink of an eye, he was pinning Elena to the wall.

"Damon, are you insane?" Alaric tried to get him off her but he didn't budge.

"Katherine," Damon growled.

"No, Damon, look at me," Elena winced as her head hit the wall, "Its Elena. You saw my dress this evening. I'm not Katherine."

"Jenna," Damon whispered, "But you left with Jenna," and with that, he was gone in a blur.

"Whoa, what was that?" Alaric looked at Bonnie.

"Katherine pretended to be Elena, and then I was getting strange vibes from this woman. She must have been a witch. I ran into her, and I had this vision. Elena was in the vision, but then it wasn't really Elena. It was Katherine. So, I-"

"You told her about me and Damon?" Elena's eyes widened.

"You and Damon?" Alaric asked, exasperated. He was having a really hard time keeping up.

"Jenna. Katherine left with Jenna," all the color drained from Elena's face, as realization hit her like a bat out of hell.

* * *

** I had a hard time writing this chapter because I had to divide it into so many fragments but anyway, I tried. I'll be posting the next one tomorrow! xoxo :) **


	11. Don't Walk Away

Elena froze, instinctively as soon as she stepped into the almost empty car park. Her head took a moment to comprehend what was right in front of her eyes, because it was Damon, kneeling by Jenna's limp body, gazing down at her impassively.

She blinked repeatedly at him, in denial. This couldn't be right. Her mind stepped on overdrive. How? Why? What happened?

A creeping cold fear gripped her heart, and her scalp prickled as every nerve ending tightened with terror. She started breathing rapidly as bone- numbing dread coursed through her body and before she could move, she fell to the ground.

Damon looked at her briefly, his eyes sweeping over Elena, and a small spark of relief skulked into his features, but his relief was fleeting as his gaze darted back to Jenna and stilled.

Elena studied his face, closely, for the slightest of emotions. His eyes were wide, wild, angry and- and scared. Damon was scared? Oh no… oh no!

Right on cue, Alaric raced into the car park with Bonnie behind him. His breath caught in his throat as he spotted Jenna, sprawled on the ground, like a rag doll.

"Is she-" Bonnie decided to break the appalling silence that was encompassing the night.

"No," Elena dug her fingers into the dirt, "Damon can give her his blood."

Bonnie stared at her friend, incredulously. She would think that Elena would finally be used to people dying on her.

"Damon?" Elena turned to him.

Damon just sat rooted to the ground, his face void of any expression.

"Damon!" Elena spoke up this time, "Your blood can heal her!"

"Get her home," Damon whispered to Alaric, almost too faint for him to hear.

"Is she, Damon?" Elena's voice cracked and tears pooled in her eyes, "Dead?"

"Damon couldn't get himself to face Elena. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Alaric, who was still gawking at Jenna, speechless.

"Ric, now," he commanded, his tone clipped in warning.

Alaric snapped out of his daze, but he didn't want to leave Jenna- leave Jenna with Damon. He moved to stand beside Elena. He hovered over her, protectively.

"For the love of god, Elena, will you do as you're told for once in your life and leave!" Damon's eyes locked with hers, his voice as cold as a hard of ice. The anger beneath the quiet delivery of his words, blatant.

This was her fault, she did this.

"No," Elena murmured, "She's not dead. She can't be dead."

"Damn it, Ric!" Damon urged, and Alaric leaned down and scooped her into his arms.

The last thing Elena saw as she was shoved into the car, was Damon, lightly caressing Jenna's golden- brown locks, as he closed her eyes.

* * *

"Jenna?" Stefan blanched, "Why would Katherine kill Jenna?"

"I'm not the one who's sleeping with her, am I?" Damon said as he poured himself a drink.

"Are you- are you implying that I have something to do with this?" Stefan narrowed his eyes.

Damon just shrugged and gulped down his bourbon like his life depended on it.

"Fuck," Stefan gasped, "How's Elena dealing?"

"Oh, I don't know, Stefan. She's probably planning a Hello Kitty themed funeral," Damon said with a small, cool smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Elena's only parental figure is dead and somehow, you think that it's alright to joke about it?" Stefan grimaced at Damon.

"What should I do, Stefan? Drop over mother's chicken pie and some home- made apple soup?"

"She needs you, now," Stefan stated. How could someone be so utterly detached from human sentiments? It was like Damon was never human at all.

"Sorry brother," Damon rolled his eyes, "Your thing, not mine."

"Isn't she your girlfriend?"

"_Your_ girlfriend killed her aunt, so chop chop, get on with it."

Typical, Stefan thought, bothered. A stumbling block, and Damon ran for the hills.

* * *

"Are you really going to sleep on that couch for the rest of your life?" Jeremy tried to sound jovial, and failed miserably. Stefan had compelled Jeremy to take it easy, but he knew that Ric wasn't handling it the way he did.

"That depends on whether I stick around for the rest of my life," Alaric groaned.

Elena went stiff as the words sliced through her like a million swords. Of course, now that Jenna was gone, Ric would want to leave too. There weren't any ties holding him there anymore. It was a monumental wake- up call.

"Got everything you need?" Alaric asked Jeremy, anxiously, as he loaded the car.

"You mean vervain sprigs, darts and grenades?" Jeremy rolled his eyes, "Elena packed my stuff. You don't have to worry about that."

Elena couldn't help but envy her brother a tad. He seemed so unscathed and exuberant. Of course, she could crave for nothing more than Jeremy's well- being, however, she wished she could go back in time too. She wished she had held on to the mindset of the girl who had skipped family night to get drunk with her friends- reckless, fearless, void of hurt or guilt.

"Call me when you reach?" Elena hugged Jeremy, infinitely.

"Right," Jeremy feigned choking.

She knew that she would miss him, but she decided that she would rather keep him alive than keep him home.

* * *

** Dear diary,**

** I had to say goodbye to Jeremy. It was not exactly uplifting. He's going to be in boarding school for a while. Hopefully, Katherine wouldn't be able to get to him, but there's no underestimating her.**

** It's been a week since I last saw Damon. Yes, at the Lockwood's. I didn't see him at the funeral, either. Stefan says he's been trying to hunt down Katherine, but he and I both know that, that's not the real reason Damon hasn't shown. He believes he can't comfort me.**

** As for now, I'm a freak show to him- just a sack- load of emotions. Stefan suggested, he relieve me of my pain and guilt too, but as tempting as it was to take him up on his offer, I just couldn't bring myself to. Jenna deserves to be remembered and mourned.**

** If Alaric had really meant what he had said about not sticking around, I can't imagine what I would do. The only constants in my life right now, are my friends. Bonnie and Matt wouldn't stop fussing over me and Jeremy, and Caroline wouldn't stop dropping off casserole and chili. Honestly, I'm glad I don't have to fight my battles alone.**

** Right now, I just have to go to sleep, wake up when the sun rises, go to school and try to return home in one piece. Live a normal human life. With any luck, I think I can handle th- Ric is home.**

Elena shuffled out of her bed and rushed down. What he had said earlier, was still troubling her. Why wouldn't he stick around? Did he expect her to manage all alone? Would he stay if Jeremy was still here?

"Later," Alaric admonished her as soon as she opened her mouth, tentatively.

"When?" Elena merely whispered.

"Tomorrow," Alaric ran his hands through his tousled hair, "Not now."

"Why not now?" she persisted. She had to clear her head and she needed answers. He hadn't said a word to her all week and it was beginning to drive her nuts.

"Damn it, Elena," he groaned in frustration. He was stoned and in no modest state to have a rational conversation.

"Are you-" Elena hesitated, "Drunk?"

"Congratulations, smarty-pants. Now, please go to bed."

"No," Elena took a step forward and he recoiled instantaneously.

"Elena," he warned, his voice gruff.

"Please, Ric," Elena begged, "Talk to me."

"There's really not much to say."

"Are you leaving?" Elena spoke softly, her eyes widening with fear.

"I can't be in Mystic Falls. Not anymore," Alaric shrugged and stared down at his feet.

"Are you leaving Mystic falls or are you leaving me?" Elena moved toward him until she was standing right in front of him.

"I'm no good for you," Alaric shook his head.

"You can't," Elena pleaded.

"Elena, I-" Alaric struggled to collect his thoughts. How was he supposed to screw with someone who was already beyond fucked up for words?

"No. No!" Elena cried.

"Elena, listen to me."

She looked frantically around the room. For what? Divine intervention?

"You can't go, Ric. I- I need you."

"Elena, it's just-"

"No… no!" she said in anguish and pressed her palms to her forehead.

"Elena,"

"No," she breathed, her voice laced with panic and she suddenly dropped to her knees in front of him.

What? "Elena, what are you doing?"

Elena continued to stare down, not looking at him.

"Elena! What the fuck are you doing?" Alaric repeated. "Look at me!" he commanded in panic.

Her head swept up without hesitation, and she regarded him passively.

"Elena, please don't do this," Alaric bent down. His heart squeezed and twisted. What had he done? "Why are you doing this? Talk to me," he whispered.

She blinked once, "What do you want me to say?" she said softly.

Just the sight of her, sent chills down his spine. She looked lost. Her face was marred with compassion, loss, despair and desperation.

"Elena, don't do this," he sank to his knees in front of her, "I'm not leaving. I won't leave."

She peeked up at him from under her hooded lashes. She was listening.

"Seeing Jenna like that," he closed his eyes as the painful memory gnawed at him, "It was such a shock. I had a glimpse into how your life has been, and," he gazed at her knotted fingers. "This is about me not being able to- to lose you. It was an insight into your life." Alaric gently tucked the stray strands of hair that were masking her teary eyes, "I'm scared. If something happened to you, and you leave me, it would be like a world without light. I'll be in darkness. I don't want to leave. I'm just scared _you_ will.

Elena stared at him in disbelief. Alaric was communicating with _her_. She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard him say this much at a stretch- even to Jenna or Damon. He did care. He didn't want to lose her just like she didn't want to lose him.

"Because I love you, Elena," his heaved a sigh.


	12. Home Run

**Hey guys, thank you very much for all your awesome reviews! Here's Chapter 12 and I must warn you that it's an Alaric- Elena chapter! So proceed only if you don't think it's creepy. I'm not ashamed to admit that I love them together, though ;) PS This chapter is inspired by Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James**

* * *

Elena stared at him deeply. She couldn't believe what he had just said. For the second time in less than half an hour, her world stopped.

"I don't understand why you find me attractive," Alaric murmured, "I just don't see it. You're eighteen, and you're all the things that I'm not. Let's face it, I'm going to be compared with vampires. I can't give you what you need. How could you be happy with me? How can I possibly hold you?" his voice was a whisper as he articulated his darkest fears.

She frowned, "No no no, Ric, no, you can. You _do _give me what I need," she clenched her fists, "Please believe me," she whispered, her words an ardent plea.

Oh, she was talking! Thank the lord! Hope flared briefly in his heart.

"So, you won't leave me?" she asked hopefully.

"I won't," he gave her a weak smile.

"I was so scared," she sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"Are you going to kneel here all night, because my knees are starting to hurt," Alaric teased.

Elena's lips twitched and she finally giggled, "Right, I forget how old you are."

"There you are," Alaric grinned, relieved- Elena was back. He got off the floor, pulling her with him. He groaned and kissed her, passionately, with a fervor and desperation he'd never felt before.

Elena reached up and timidly placed her hand on the soft patch of his stubble. He sighed and she moved it down to his shoulders, feeling the tremor run through him. She pulled him down to her, holding him. His strangled moan aroused her like nothing else.

He buried his head in her neck, kissing and sucking and biting her, before trailing his nose up her chin and kissing her again, his tongue possessing her mouth, his hands moving over her body. His lips moved down… down… down to her breasts, and her hands stayed on his shoulders, enjoying the flex and ripple of his finely honed muscles.

His lips closed over her nipple, through her camisole, pulling and tugging, so that it rose to greet his gloriously skilled mouth.

She moaned and ran her fingers across his back.

"Fuck," he broke off, gasping for air, "You haven't had anything to eat, have you?"

She looked at him, quizzically, "Can't we just go to bed?" she placed her hand in his.

"We should take it slow," Alaric said matter- of- factly.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, couch, now," he ordered, "I'll fix something to eat."

"Ric!" she whined.

"Couch, Elena."

She curled up on the couch, tucking her legs beneath her, "Do I at least get TV privileges?" she grumbled.

"Fine, I'll watch something with you," he rolled his eyes.

"I thought we could make out," Elena said, coyly as she flipped though the channels.

He whipped his face to hers, "Make out?" he gazed at her like she'd grown two heads.

"Yup." Why was he so horrified?

He sat beside her and regarded her, oddly.

"When was the last time you made out in front of the TV?" she asked, shy and teasing at the same time.

He shrugged and shook his head.

"Ric?"

"I've never done that," he said quietly.

"Never?"

"No."

"Not even with Isobel?"

He snorted, "Elena, I did a lot of things with Isobel. Do you really want to talk about my history with your mother?" He smirked at her and then narrowed his eyes with amused curiosity, "Have you?"

She flushed, "Of course,"

"What! With?"

Oh no, she did not want to have this discussion.

"Tell me," he persisted.

He gazed down at her knotted fingers. He gently covered her hands with one of his. When she glanced up at him, he was smiling at her.

"I want to know so I can beat whoever it was to a pulp."

She giggled, "Well, the first time -"

"The first time! There's more than one fucker?" he growled.

She giggled again, "Why so surprised, Ric?"

He frowned briefly, running a hand through his hair, and looked at her as if seeing her from a completely different perception. He shrugged, "I just am. I mean, I've just not seen you that way."

She beamed. It was working!

"Tell me, I want to know."

Elena gazed into his patient brown eyes, trying to gauge his mood. Was this going to make him mad, or did he genuinely want to know? She didn't want him sulking. He was impossible when he was sulking.

"You really want me to tell you?"

He nodded slowly once, and his lips twitched with an amused, arrogant smile.

"His name was Caleb. Tyler's cousin."

"How old were you?"

"Fifteen."

"And what's he doing now?"

"I don't know."

"What base did he get to?"

"Ric!" she scolded and suddenly he grabbed her knees, then her ankles, and tipped her up so she fell back on to the couch. He slid smoothly on top of her, trapping her beneath him, one leg between hers. It was so sudden that she cried out in surprise.

He grabbed her hands and raised them above her head.

"So, this Caleb, did he get to first base?" he murmured, running his nose down the length of hers and kissing her.

"Yes," she murmured against his lips. He released one of her hands so that he could clasp her chin and hold her still while his tongue invaded her mouth, and she surrendered to his ardent kissing.

"Like this?" Alaric breathed when he came up for air.

"No , uh- nothing like that," she managed.

Releasing her chin, he ran his hand down over her body and back up to her breast.

"Did he do this? Touch you like this?" his thumb skimmed over her nipple, through her camisole, softly, repeatedly, and it hardened under his touch.

"No," she writhed beneath him.

"Did he get to second base?" he murmured in her ear. His hand moved down across her ribs, past her waist to her hip.

"No," she breathed.

Alaric gazes down at her.

"What about Matt? Did he make it past second base?" his eyes were smoldering hot. Angry? Turned on? It was difficult too say which.

He shifted to her side and slid his hand beneath her sweatpants.

"Yes," she whispered, trapped in his carnal gaze.

Alaric smiled, "Good," his hand cupped her sex, "No underwear," He kissed her again as his thumb skimmed over her sex, tantalizing her, as he pushed his index finger inside her with exquisite slowness.

"We're supposed to be making out," she groaned.

Alaric stilled, "I thought we were?"

"No, no sex."

"What?"

"No sex."

"No sex, huh?" he withdrew his hand from her sweatpants, "Here," he traced her lips with his index finger, and she tasted her slick saltiness. He pushed his finger into her mouth, then shifted so he was between her legs, and his erection pushes against her. He thrusted once, twice, and again. She gasped as the material of her sweatpants rubbed in just the right way. He pushed once more, grinding into her.

"This what you want?" he murmured and moved his hips rhythmically, rocking against her.

"Yes," she moaned.

His hand moved back to concentrate on her nipple once more, "Do you know how hot you are, Elena?"his voice was hoarse as he rocked harder against her.

Elena opened her mouth to articulate a response and failed miserably, groaning loudly.

He released her other wrist and her hands travelled greedily up his shoulders and into his hair as he kissed her. When she pulled on his hair, he moaned and raised his eyes to hers.

Holy crap! He knelt between her legs and dragged her up to haul off her top. Elena was naked beneath. Grabbing the hem of his shirt, he yanked it over his head and tossed it on the floor, then pulled her onto his kneeling lap, his arms clasped just above her behind.

"I want you," he murmured. Her fingers moved into his hair, pulling his head back so she could claim his mouth. He groaned and pushed her back onto the couch. He sat up and ripped off her sweatpants, undoing his fly at the same time.

"Home run," he whispered, and swiftly he filled her.

"Ah!" she gasped and he stilled, grabbing her face between his hands.

"I love you, Elena Gilbert," he murmured like Damon never had, and very slowly, very gently, he made love to her until she came apart at the seams, calling his name and wrapping herself around him, never wanting to let him go.

* * *

Elena lay sprawled on Alaric's chest, on the floor of the living room.

"You know, we completely dodged third base," her fingers traced down his happy- trail.

He laughed, "Next time," he kissed the top of her head.


	13. Snap Out Of It, Bro

Damon had covered the whole of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. He decided that if Katherine wanted Elena human so much, she wouldn't have gone too far. Definitely she had to stick around to keep her on check or perhaps, she was making one of her compelled little minions do her dirty work for her.

He was starting to lose hope- If _Klaus_ hadn't managed to find Katherine for five hundred years, he most certainly didn't stand a chance. He couldn't face Elena. He should've known better than to presume that they could sneak around without getting caught. He had been selfish and it had cost Elena her aunt. Stefan had told him about Jeremy, but he didn't have to. Damon knew that Elena would find a way to protect her brother come what may.

He found it deplorable, that in his heart, he wanted to be there for her. He wanted to know how she was doing with Jenna and Jeremy gone. He wanted to hold her and comfort her. Let her know that she was in safe hands, let her know that he lov- he loved her. And he despised it. As though, loving one woman for all eternity, hadn't got him killed. Literally. What he felt for Elena frankly terrified him.

He stared aimlessly at the Gilbert family head stones. Grayson, Miranda and Jenna Gilbert. Elena had endured the loss of so many loved ones, and yet she had managed to keep it all together. But Damon knew for a fact that, if he gave her his heart, he'd be taking the very best of her when he ultimately decided to up and leave. He knew that he had enough of her to break her heart.

He- Damon Salvatore- was thinking ahead of time. He scoffed. He was the crazy, impulsive vampire, for crying out loud! He didn't care who got caught up in the crossfire! How had he been so obtuse as to let Elena waltz her way into his head?

"Stefan, wait, just-" Damon went still as Katherine's flustered voice resonated through the woods.

"Don't," he heard Stefan spit out.

"Please, Stefan, hear me out," Katherine pleaded, "Let me explain." Their voices were nearing the cemetery.

Damon instantly transformed into a plump, sleek crow with feathers so black, the moon beams bounced off them like rainbows. He unfurled his wings and swooped up to a yew.

Stefan was the first to show, followed by Katherine. He looked revolted. Damon perched on a branch and watched the drama that was unveiling beneath him with foggy eyes.

"I can't even look at you!" Stefan hissed as he recoiled from Katherine's touch, "Give me one good reason I shouldn't tell Damon that you're here!"

"Because you love me," Katherine whispered, "Because you fucking owe it to me."

"I owe you nothing! No thing!" Stefan snarled.

Damon grimaced. If only he could compel swear words into his baby brother's head.

"Please don't tell me that you want Elena with Damon," Katherine smirked.

Stefan narrowed his eyes at her.

"Come on, Stefan, I can see right through you. You and I both know that Elena is better off without Damon."

"That doesn't make it alright for you to kill her aunt," Stefan growled, "Her only parental figure, Katherine. I'm disgusted you would even want that for a girl who shares your fate."

"Shares my fate," Katherine snorted, "I lost my family, Stefan. Klaus hunted them down because I denied him of a human doppelganger."

"Elena offered him her blood before he could even lay a nail on anyone," Stefan half- smiled, "That right there is the eternal difference between you and her."

Katherine winced, "You think I knew what Klaus was capable of? If I'd known that he would go after my family," her voice cracked.

Stefan stared at her at an attempt to decipher if this was all a charade.

"I didn't want to be human," Katherine sighed, "It was painful. I'd heard Trevor and Rose talk about how it was to be a vampire- to turn your emotions off. About flipping the humanity switch," Katherine spoke inertly as she propped herself upon a tomb stone.

Damon hung onto every word that came out of her mouth like it bore a concealed meaning. She had told him about how she had become a vampire but none of that covered the fact that she wanted to shut her emotions off.

"Why did you want to flip the switch?" Stefan whispered.

Katherine smiled briefly, "Because I'd lost a child."

Stefan's eyes widened. Oh no, Stef, don't you fall for that, Damon rolled his eyes.

"Lost? But Isobel? And Elena?" Stefan asked, confused.

"My family disowned me. You see, I had a baby out of wedlock. Such misdemeanors weren't tolerated in those days," she murmured, "They gave away my baby. I didn't even get to hold her once, and I was banished to England. That was where I met Klaus and you know how that went."

Stefan watched her, intrigued, his fury momentarily forgotten. "Didn't you look for her after you turned?"

"Well, I was running from Klaus. I couldn't risk him finding out about my daughter."

Stefan's eyes softened, and he sat beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist. This was a side of Katherine, he hadn't met at all. The side that cared.

"I never got to see my daughter grow up, or fall in love, or-" she breathed, "Or die."

Katherine Pierce wanted the human experience. Who would've thought? Damon glared down at her, holding himself from swooping down and pecking her nose off, right then.

"You want Elena to be human," Stefan frowned, "You want her to have what you don't? And somehow that's supposed to justify your killing her aunt?"

"This isn't about Elena," Katherine said animatedly, "This is about me."

Stefan stared at her, quizzically.

"You really think that I want sweet, little, Elena to have a perfect human life with that quarter back, Matt, is it? And have babies and a golden retriever? No, Stefan, I couldn't care less about the bitch, but I need her flesh and blood in order to summon mine," she grinned, like it all made perfect sense.

"You've lost me," Stefan scrutinized her, "What do you mean by 'summon yours'?"

"I mean, awaken my daughter from the dead," Katherine giggled nervously.

What? "You want to bring back your dead daughter?" Had she completely lost it?

"Oh, don't look so hopeless, Stefan. I have a witch who can perform the ritual," Katherine beamed.

"Ritual?" Stefan was too stunned to articulate his thoughts any further.

"I've spent too many years running, and living in the shadows. Now, Gretchia can finally reunite me with my daughter."

"How? How's Elena involved?" Stefan finally managed.

"Oh, she's the sacrifice," Katherine said it like it was obvious.

Stefan gaped at her, unable to react in any particular way and Damon clenched his claws, staring down at her with inanimate stillness.

"Not just her, of course. I need her child's flesh in order to awaken my daughter, but well, Elena is bound to end up as collateral- damage," Katherine added.

"Are you out of your freaking mind?" Stefan tore through the quiet. She wanted to sacrifice Elena?

"Be rational, Stefan," Katherine braced herself, "I thought you missed being human more than anything. Don't you want to build a family? With me? With our child?"

"Our child!" Stefan snorted.

"Don't beat yourself up. Deep down, you know that this is what you want," Katherine placated him, "Elena has to go down with this. The meteor shower is in a month and Gretchia needs to harness the energy from this particular celestial event."

Damon watched Stefan as his expression gradually changed. Pacified. A gush of deadly cold wind made the yew bend and sway, and an involuntary tremor passed through Damon. Stefan was siding with Katherine.


	14. My Hot Mess

** I'm sorry for the delay, guys, and thank you so much for all your great reviews :)**

** Warning: Alaric- Elena chapter ahead! Proceed only if you ship them ;) PS This chapter is inspired by Fifty Shades Freed by E. L. James**

* * *

Alaric was in all honesty, relieved that the week had finally come to an end. If he had to take another day of pretending like Elena Gilbert's anti- moral turpitude history teacher, he was likely to bust a vein. He had asked Elena to lay off for a while. The last thing either of them wanted was to offend Jenna's memory, but what was done was done. The L- word was uttered, promises made. He had confessed his overbearing feelings for her, and he could not take it back even if he wanted to- which he didn't.

His feeling for Elena, were wrong in so many levels, but they were real, nonetheless. He couldn't help but feel like Isobel and Jenna were watching him. When he had brought this up, Elena had coughed a fit, jumping to conclusions and assuming that he was leaving again. He failed to comprehend why Elena felt so insecure around him. Conspicuously, losing all your loved ones could do that to you, but he wasn't leaving. If he should he couldn't. He had lost people too and he was more like Elena than he was willing to admit. They needed each other now more than ever.

"Sometimes I worry about you, I really do," Elena broke into his reverie. She stood at the entrance to Jenna's room, wavering.

"Hey," Alaric sighed as he took her in. Only Elena could look like a goddess in a tiny blouse and a skirt, hair piled high with tendrils hanging down softly around her face.

"You alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Sure, why do you ask?" Alaric teased.

"Because you look like shit," Elena giggled, "And you're in dire need of a hair- cut."

"Ouch!"

"Let me make this easy for you," Elena walked up to him, hesitantly. She hadn't been in Jenna's room since the funeral and she doubted if she could handle it.

"You have been!" Alaric cut her off, "You have been making it easy for me. I couldn't ask for more. Elena, you," he shook his head, amazed.

"I know this stage, Ric, I've been in it. The stage where you wish that you had a rewind button. The would haves, should haves and could haves of life," Elena delicately placed her palm on his cheek, like he was brittle.

Alaric looked at her with awe. The circumstances of life had changed her- for the better. She had grown out of her adolescence. That was why two people so far apart in age could develop such an intense relationship as theirs. That was why she didn't bore him but most of her friends did, why she could match him intellectually. Maturity had come in one swift blow when she woke up in the hospital to find out that her parents were dead, and ever since she had lived with a different perspective to those of lighter experience.

"But you can't," she offered him a strained smile that seldom reached her eyes, "The things we've done, our actions, are what set things in motion. We just have to learn to live with it."

"I just thought," Alaric looked away. He was still in denial. He knew that he couldn't get too used to this, although Elena was giving him every distinct reason to.

"You know that you can ask me anything," Elena felt his discomfort.

"Well, there is something," a speculative look crossed his face, "A really important matter to attend to," he continued all serious.

Oh? Elena looked at him quizzically.

"A matter of the gravest importance," his lips twitched.

"What?" Elena was curious now.

"I want you to cut my hair. Apparently, it's too long and my girlfriend doesn't like it."

Girlfriend. Oh my. Elena's heart warmed. "I can't cut your hair!"

So, the 'girlfriend' didn't bother her? "Yes you can," Alaric grinned and shook his head so his overlong hair fell over his eyes.

"Come," Elena grabbed his hand. His eyes widened. She led him to the bathroom, and pulled up a chair in front of the sink.

When she looked up at him, he was gazing at her with ill- disguised amusement, thumbs tucked in the front belt hoops of his pants, but his eyes were smoking hot.

"Sit," she gestured to the chair posing a look that said 'Yup, I do this all the time.'

"Are you going to wash my hair?"

She nodded. He arched a brow in surprise and undid his buttons until his shirt hung open.

Elena gasped as he held out his cuff with an 'undo this now' gesture.

She took his wrist and removed the first one, and then the other. As she finished she glanced at him, and his amused expression was gone, replaced by something hotter. She reached up and pushed his shirt off his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor.

"Ready?" she whispered.

"For whatever you want, Elena."

Her eyes strayed from his eyes to his lips. Parted so that he could inhale more deeply. She found herself leaning up to kiss him.

"No," he said and placed both of his hands on her shoulders, "Don't. If you do that, I'll never get my hair cut."

Oh! she blushed scarlet, "You really want me to do this?"

He nodded and gave her his shy smile. She grinned back at him and stepped out of his embrace.

"Then sit," she repeated.

He dutifully did, sitting with his back to the sink. She took off her shoes and kicked them over to where his shirt lay crumpled on the bathroom floor. From the shower, she retrieved Jenna's Chanel shampoo.

"Would you like this?" she held it up in both hands like she was a television presenter.

"Please," he grinned.

She grabbed a small towel, "Lean forward," she ordered and Alaric complied. Draping the towel around his shoulders, she then turned on the taps and filled the sink with a mix of warm water, "Lean back."

Alaric leaned back, but he was too tall. He shifted the seat forward then tilted back the entire chair until the top rested against the sink. Perfect distance. He tipped back his head. Bold eyes gazed up at her, and she smiled. Taking one of the small drinking glasses he kept by the bath tub, she dipped it into the water and tipped it over his head, soaking his hair. She repeated the process, leaning over him.

"You smell so good," he murmured and closed his eyes.

As she methodically wetted his hair, she freely gazed at him. _Holy cow. _Long dark lashes fanned across his cheeks, his lips parted a little, creating a small, dark diamond shape, and he inhaled softly. Hmm.

She splashed water into his eyes. _Shit! _"Sorry!"

He grabbed the corner of the towel and laughed as he wiped the water out of his eyes.

"Hey, I know I didn't give you an A in History, but don't drown me."

She leaned down and kissed his forehead, giggling, "Don't tempt me."

He curled his hand behind her head and shifted so that he captured her lips with his. He kissed her briefly, making a low contented sound in his throat. He released her and lay back obediently, gazing up at her with expectation. For a moment he looked vulnerable, like a child.

She squirted some shampoo into her palm and massaged it into his scalp, beginning at his temples and working over the top of his head and down the sides, circling her fingers rhythmically. Alaric closed his eyes again and made that low humming sound again.

"That feels good," he said after a moment and relaxed beneath the firm touch of her fingers.

"Yes it does," she kissed his forehead once more, "Head up," she commanded and he obeyed. She rubbed the suds into the back of his hair, scraping her nails into his scalp.

Elena turned to the sink and filled it with warm water, "For rinsing," she explained when his look turned quizzical.

She repeated the process with the shampoo, listening to his even deep breaths. Once he was all lathered up, she couldn't resist him. Tenderly, she caressed his cheek, and he opened his eyes, watching her almost sleepily through his long lashes. Leaning forward she planted a soft, chaste kiss on his lips. He smiled, closed his eyes, and breathed out a sigh of utter contentment.

Jeez. She leaned right over him.

"Hmm," he murmured appreciatively as her breasts brushed his face. Resisting the urge to shimmy, she pulled the plug so the sudsy water drained away. His hands moved to her hips and around to her behind.

"No fondling the help," she murmured, feigning disapproval.

"I can't hear you over the water," he joked, keeping his eyes closed, as he ran his hands down past her behind and started to hitch up her skirt. She swatted his arm. She was enjoying playing hairdresser. He smirked, big and boyish, like she'd caught him doing something illicit that he was secretly proud of.

She reached for the glass again, carefully rinsing all the shampoo from his hair. She continued to lean over him, and he kept his hands on her backside, thrumming his fingers back and forward, up and down, back and forth.

She wiggled, "There. All rinsed."

"Good," he declared. His fingers tightened on her behind, and all at once he sat up, his soaked hair dripping all over him. He pulled her down onto his lap, his hands moving from her behind up to the nape of her neck, then to her chin, holding her in place. She gasped, surprised, and his lips were on hers, his tongue hot and hard in her mouth. Her fingers curled around his wet hair, and drops of water ran down her arms, and as he deepened the kiss, his hair bathed her face. His hand moved from her chin down to the top button of her blouse.

"Enough of this. I want you right now, and we can do it in here or in the bedroom. You decide," Alaric's eyes blazed, hot and full of promise, his hair dripping water onto them both. Her mouth went dry.

"What's it going to be, Elena?" he asked as he held her in his lap.

"You're wet," she responded.

He bent his head suddenly, running his dripping hair all down the front of her blouse. She squealed and tried to wriggle off him. He tightened his grip around her, "Oh, no you don't, baby," he murmured.

When he raised his head he was grinning salaciously at her, and she was Miss Wet Blouse 2013. Her top was soaked and totally see-through. She was wet- everywhere.

"Love the view," he murmured and leaned down to run his nose around and around her wet nipple. She squirmed.

"Answer me, Elena. Here or the bedroom?"

"Here," she whispered frantically. To hell with the haircut, she could do it later.

He smiled slowly, his lips curling into a sensuous smile full of promise.


	15. Favorite Place

**This is the continuation of the previous chapter, and hence is obviously "Alarena". You've been notified :) PS This chapter is inspired by Fifty Shades Trilogy by E.L. James**

* * *

"Good choice," he murmured against her lips. He released her chin and his hand moved to her knee. It glided smoothly up her leg, lifting her skirt and skating over her skin. His lips trailed soft kisses from the base of her ear along her jaw.

His fingers halted at her stocking tops, "I like these," he gasped. He ran a finger underneath the top and skimmed it around to her inner thigh. She squirmed once more in his lap.

He groaned, low in his throat, "If we're doing this, I want you to keep still."

"Make me," she challenged, her voice soft and breathy.

Alaric inhaled sharply. He narrowed his eyes and regarded her with a hot, hooded expression, "Let's strip you of these," he tugged gently and she shifted to help him. His breath hissed through his teeth as she did.

"Keep still," he grumbled.

"I'm helping," she pouted, and he seized her lower lip gently between his teeth.

"Still," he growled. He slid her panties down her legs and off. Tugging her skirt up so that it was bunched around her hips, he moved both hands to her waist and lifted her.

"Sit. Astride me," he ordered staring intently into her eyes. She shifted, straddling him, and regarded him provocatively. _Bring it on!_

"Elena," he warned "Are you goading me?" He gazed at her, amused but aroused.

"Yes. What are you going to do about it?"

His eyes lighted up with delight at her challenge, and she felt his erection beneath her. His look was intense and hot. Putting his hands around her waist, he shifted her so she was sitting a little further back on his lap. Water still dripped down his neck and over his chest.

Alaric caressed both of her thighs and skimmed his hands down to her knees. Gently he pushed them further apart and widened his own legs, holding her in that position. His fingers moved to the buttons of her blouse.

"I don't think we need this," he smirked and undid the buttons.

Elena's pulse quickened. He'd hardly touched her, and she felt like this- hot, bothered, ready.

He left her damp blouse hanging open and using both hands, he caressed her face with his fingers, his thumb skimming across her bottom lip. Suddenly, he thrusted his thumb into her mouth.

"Suck," he ordered in a whisper. She closed her mouth around him and did exactly that. Oh, she liked this. What else would she like to suck?

He groaned and slowly extracted his wet thumb from her mouth and trailed it down her chin, down her throat, over her sternum. He hooked it into the cup of her bra and yanked the cup down, freeing her breast.

Alaric's gaze never left hers. He watched each reaction that his touch extracted from her, and she watched him. It was hot. Consuming. Possessive. She loved it. He mirrored his actions with his other hand so both her breasts were free and, cupping them gently, he skimmed each thumb over a nipple, circling slowly, teasing and taunting each one so that they hardened beneath his skillful touch. Elena tried to not move, but her nipples were hotwired to her sex, so she moaned and threw her head back, closing her eyes and surrendering to the sweet torture.

"Shh," Alaric's soothing voice was at odds with the teasing, even-tempo rhythm of his fingers, "Still, baby, still," releasing one breast, he reached up behind her and splayed his hand around the nape of her neck. Leaning forward, he took her now bereft nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, his wet hair tickling her. At the same time, his thumb stopped skimming across her other elongated nipple. Instead, he took it between his thumb and forefinger and tugged and twisted it gently.

"Ah! Ric!" she moaned and bucked forward on his lap. But he didn't stop. He continued the slow, agonizing tease. And her body was burning as the pleasure took a darker turn.

"Ric, please," she whimpered.

"Hmm," he hummed low in his chest, "I want you to come like this."

When he resumed with his teeth this time, the pleasure was almost intolerable. Moaning loudly, she writhed on his lap, trying to find some precious friction against his pants. She was itching to touch him, but she was lost in the treacherous sensation.

"Please," she whispered, pleading, and pleasure filled through her body, tightening all in its wake.

"You have such beautiful breasts, Elena," He groaned.

And it burned deliciously hot and low, deep inside her, and all thought evaporated as her body tightened and clenched, ready, reaching, pining for release, but he didn't stop driving her wild.

"Let go," he breathed and she did, loudly, her orgasm convulsing through her body, and he stopped his sweet torture and wrapped his arms around her, clutching her to him as her body spiraled down from her climax. When she opened her eyes, he was gazing down at her where she rested against his chest.

"God, I love to watch you come, Elena," His voice was full of wonder.

"That was-" words failed her.

"I know," he leaned forward and kissed her.

"Now let's get to the real stuff," he murmured as he pushed her to her feet and reached for his zipper. Elena gasped as his length sprung free.

He smirked, "You like?"

"Hmm," she murmured appreciatively.

He wrapped his hand around himself and moved it up and down. _Oh my. _She gazed down at him through her lashes. Fuck, he was so sexy.

"You're biting your lip, Elena."

"That's because I'm hungry."

"Hungry?" His mouth opened in surprise, and his eyes widened a fraction.

"Uhuh," she agreed and licked her lips.

He gave her his enigmatic smile and bit his lower lip as he continued to stroke himself. Why is the sight of him pleasuring himself such a turn-on?

"I see. You should have eaten your dinner," his tone was mocking and sensuous at once, "But maybe I can oblige," he put his hands on her waist, "Kneel."

She knelt down on the cool tiled floor of the bathroom. He slid forward on the seat of the chair.

"Kiss me," he whispered holding his erection.

She kissed the tip of his length and watched him inhale sharply and clench his teeth. Alaric cupped the side of her head, and she ran her tongue over the tip, tasting the small bead of dew on the end. Hmm, he tasted good. His mouth dropped open further as he gasped and she pounced, pulling him into her mouth and sucking hard.

"Ah!" the air hissed through his teeth, and he flexed his hips forward, thrusting into her mouth, but she didn't stop. Sheathing her teeth behind her lips, she pushed down and then pulled up on him. He moved both hands so that he fully cupped her head, burying his fingers in her hair and slowly eased himself in and out of her mouth, his breathing quickening, growing harsher.

Elena twirled her tongue around his tip and pushed down again in perfect counterpoint to him.

"Jesus, Elena." He sighed and screwed his eyes tightly. He was lost and it was heady, his response to her.

And very slowly she drew her lips back, so it was just her teeth.

"Ah!" Alaric stopped moving. Leaning forward he grabs her and pulled her up onto his lap, "Enough!" he growled.

Elena stared from under her lashes into scorching eyes that gazed back at her with love and longing and lust. And she realized that she wanted him badly. She wanted to watch him come apart beneath her. She grabbed his erection and scooted over him. Placing her other hand on his shoulder, very gently and slowly, she eased herself onto him. He made a guttural, feral noise deep in his throat and, reaching up, pulled off her blouse letting it fall to the floor. His hands moved to her hips.

"Still," he rasped, his hands digging into her flesh, "Please, let me savor this. Savor you."

She stopped. _Holy shit! _He felt so good inside her. He caressed her face, his eyes wide and wild. He flexed beneath her and she moaned, closing her eyes.

"This is my favorite place," he whispered, "Inside you. I want to be inside you."

_ Oh fuck. Damon. _He had said that. He slid into her thoughts against her will. This was so screwed up. She was with Alaric.

She couldn't hold back. Her fingers glided into his wet hair, her lips seeked his, and she started to move. Up and down on her toes, savoring him, savoring her. He groaned loudly, and his hands were in her hair and his tongue invaded her mouth greedily, taking all that she willingly gave. She loved him. Yes, she loved him so much, it was almost overwhelming. His hands moved to her backside and he controlled her, moving her up and down, again and again, at his pace.

"Ah," she groaned helplessly into his mouth as she was carried away.

"Yes. Yes, Elena," he hissed, and she rained kisses on his face, his chin, his jaw, his neck. "Baby," he breathed, capturing her mouth once more.

"Ric, I love you. I will always love you," she was breathless, wanting him to know, wanting him to be sure of her, no matter what.

He moaned loudly and wrapped his arms around her tightly as he climaxed with a mournful sob, and it was enough to push her over the brink once more. She clutched her arms around him and let go, and she came around him, tears springing to her eyes because she loved him so.

"Hey," he whispered, tipping her chin back and gazing at her with quiet concern, "Why are you crying? Did I hurt you?"

"No," she muttered reassuringly. He smoothed her hair off her face, wiped away a lone tear with this thumb and tenderly kissed her lips. He was still inside her. He shifted, and she winced as he pulled out of her.

"What's wrong, Elena? Tell me."

She sniffed, "It's just- it's just sometimes I'm overwhelmed by how much I love you," she whispered.

After a beat, he smiled his special shy smile, "You have the same effect on me," he whispered, and kissed her once more. She smiled, and inside her, joy unfurled and stretched lazily.

"Do I?"

He smirked, "You know you do."

"Sometimes I know. Not all the time."

"It's late," Alaric whispered, his fingers methodically stroking her back.

"Your hair still needs cutting."

He chuckled, "That it does, baby. Do you have the energy to finish the job you started?"

"Are you doubting my mad skills?" she kissed his chest once more and reluctantly stood.

"Don't," grabbing her hips, he turned her around. He straightened then undid her skirt, letting it drop to the floor. He held his hand out to her. She took it and stepped out of her skirt. Now she was dressed solely in stockings.

"You are a fine sight, baby," he sat back in the chair and crossed his arms, giving her a full and frank appraisal.

She held out her hands and twirled for him.

"God, I'm a lucky son of a bitch," he said admiringly.

"Yes, you are."

He grinned, "Put my shirt on and you can cut my hair. Like this, you'll distract me, and we'll never get to bed."

Elena couldn't help her answering smile. Knowing that he was watching her every move, she sashayed over to where she'd kicked her shoes and his shirt. Bending slowly, she reached down, picking up his shirt, smelling it- hmm, and then shrugging it on.

Alaric's eyes were round. He'd redone his fly and was watching her intently.

"That's quite a floor show."

"Do we have scissors?" she asked him innocently, batting her eyelashes.

"Elena?"

Elena went stiff as the excruciatingly familiar voice reached them from the living room. This was it. Fun was over.

"Damon?" Alaric raised his eye brows questioningly, and all Elena could think at the moment was, 'Ground, swallow me up! Right now!'


	16. I'm Not Running

Elena stood petrified. Damon was here. What did this mean?

"I'll deal with him," Alaric got up.

"No," Elena shook her head. Damon deserved an explanation and owed her one. Where had he been? Why hadn't he called? What was he thinking?

"Elena!" Damon's frantic voice dragged her out of her tumult.

"I'll go," Elena whispered, "Uh, you should- you should be here," she turned to the door.

"You going like that?" Alaric frowned, reminding her of her not- so- modest clothing.

Well, nothing Damon hadn't seen before, Elena thought sardonically. "I'll be quick," she faked a smile and walked to the stairway.

Her heart lurched to a stop when she spotted Damon standing in her room, his posture oddly bringing back the night Katherine had chosen Stefan. As he saw her, his expression shifted from impatience to concern.

He looked into her eyes, his distress palpably parting. Just the sight of her made him feel at home.

"Why are you here?" Elena tried to sound intimidating, holding back the tears that were threatening to invade her eyes.

She thought she saw Damon faintly wince, but if he did, he didn't make it obvious.

"How are you, Elena?" he asked, impassive.

"Do you really want to know?" Elena cocked her head to one side, "I mean, we don't want you running again."

"Elena, please," Damon took a step toward her and she recoiled immediately.

"Sure you can handle it? Poor little Elena, always the victim," she did feeble imitation of him.

Damon ran his hand through his hair. He knew this was bound to happen. What had he expected? That he could waltz in whenever he wished, and everything would be just the way it was?

"What do you want?" Elena breathed.

"To know that you're alright," Damon's face scrunched up in pure agony.

"Oh, you don't deserve to know that," she scoffed.

Just then, Alaric emerged from the corridor. He had put on another shirt. "Hey dick, so you're alive," Alaric grinned, his face lighting up at the sight of his buddy.

Damon's eyes darted from Elena to Ric and then back, and realization struck at him like lightning. Elena was wearing Ric's shirt. Jesus!

"What's wrong?" Alaric asked confused.

Elena just folded her arms to her chest and stood her ground. There was no backing out now.

"No," Damon hissed through clenched teeth, "This is not happening."

"Stay out of this, Damon," Elena admonished him.

"You couldn't possibly-"

"I asked you to stay out of this," she cut him off again.

"Right, so he's your rebound now?"

Shit. Leave it to Damon to screw her over.

"Damon?" Alaric squeaked, "You- he- you were with-" he struggled to catch his breath.

"No… Yes. No."

"Are you even hearing yourself right now?" Alaric looked ashen, deceived, "I thought you weren't a child anymore. Why would you lie to me?"

"It was more of a- of a lie of omission," Elena stuttered. She couldn't let Ric see her as a child again. She couldn't hurt him. "It wasn't important with everything that was going on. It hardly meant anything," she took his hands in hers.

Damon winced as her words set in. It was like history was repeating itself right in front of his eyes.

"What is this between us? What am I to you?" Alaric backed away a few steps, "Who am I to you?"

Geez! "You're the one I love," Elena whispered, "I love you. You have to trust me."

"What about Damon?" Alaric asked, the tension almost choking him, "Did you love him?"

Damon stiffened. Why wasn't he walking away? Right, because he was an insufferable idiot.

Honestly, yes. She nodded meekly, her gaze shifting to Damon. "I did. Past tense. It doesn't matter anymore because Damon isn't capable of love," her eyes welled, "He said it himself. Didn't you, Damon?"

"I can't," Damon clenched his fists and walked toward the open window. He heard Elena mutter something that sounded like 'That's what I thought,' but in mid- stride, his ears caught something else. It was almost too faint to sense. A feeble thrumming- a steady flutter. He went rigid in his tracks.

What? No no no fuck! Damon fixed his terrified eyes on Elena.

Alaric could hardly decipher what was going on. Damon and Elena! His mind was still reeling from the revelation. How could he possibly compete with Damon?

"Elena," Damon murmured, "Ric is human."

"Good to know, Damon," Elena said at a loss. Ric was furious. She could deal with the fact that he was human later.

Damon glared at her, his breaths rushing out in hisses. "God forbid you assume he has a natural birth control shield," he said, his voice laced with acid.

What? Elena gasped. Shit. How could she have let this happen? She suddenly felt sick. Please no, it was too soon.

"What are you talking about?" Alaric couldn't help but feel adrift. There was an invisible string that linked Damon and Elena and he didn't know how resilient it was. Hell, he knew nothing.

Elena gaped at Alaric, her world collapsing around her. A baby. She didn't want a baby. Not yet. And she knew deep down, that Ric was going to lose it.

"Elena, you're pale. What is it?" Alaric frowned.

"Nothing," she couldn't tell him. Not with Damon around. "You could be wrong," Elena merely whispered so only Damon could hear her, "You can't be sure. It's been hardly three weeks."

"I can hear its heart beat," Damon stressed on each word, pain flitting across his face.

It had a heart beat! Her stomach knotted in a tight ball of anxiety.

"Damn it! Elena, will you fucking tell me what's wrong?" Alaric groaned, irritated, "Please. You're driving me crazy."

She swallowed and tried to subdue the panic rising in her throat. She took a deep, steadying breath, "I'm pregnant."

Alaric's brows furrowed with incomprehension, "How?"

How? Damon scoffed, "What sort of a ridiculous question is that?" he shot him a 'how do you think' look.

His stance changed immediately, his eyes hardening to flint, "You're not on your pill?"

Oh shit.

"Did you forget your pills?"

She just stared at him, unable to speak. Boy, was he mad. Really mad.

"Christ, Elena!" he banged his fist against her book shelf, making her flinch. "You have one thing to remember. I don't fucking believe it. How could you be so stupid?"

She wanted to tell him that it had completely escaped her mind, but words failed her. She gazed down at her fingers, "I'm sorry," she whispered. She so did not want to do this in front of Damon.

"Sorry? Fuck!" he cursed again.

"I know the timing's not very good."

"Not very good!" Alaric shouted, "We've known each other five fucking minutes. I wanted to show you the fucking world and now… Fuck! Diapers and vomit and shit!" he closed his eyes, trying to contain his temper and losing the battle.

"Did you forget? Tell me. Or did you do this on purpose?" his eyes blazed and anger emanated off him like a force field.

"No," she whispered.

"I thought- I thought you were on your pill."

"I know. It's my fault and I'm sorry."

He ignored her, "This is why. This is why I was hesitant. So shit like this doesn't come along and screw everything up."

Why wasn't he ready for a child yet? "Ric, don't shout. We can talk this out." Tears started to slip down her cheeks.

"Don't start with tears now," he snapped. "Fuck!" he ran a hand through his hair, tousling it as he did.

Damon knew what this meant. Katherine's plan was flawlessly playing itself out and it wasn't too long before the meteor shower.

"You think you're ready to be a mother?" Alaric's voice caught, and it was a mixture of rage and panic.

Elena's eyes widened at the word. Mother? Geez, she couldn't keep a guinea pig alive for two days. "I know neither one of us is ready for this, but I think you'll make a wonderful father," she choked, "We'll figure it out."

Every bone in Damon's body was compelling him to run right then, but he couldn't bring himself to. It was Ric and Elena- the only two people he genuinely loved, and yet he was the intruder. Elena loved Ric enough to have a child with him, but she looked so vulnerable that he somehow knew she needed him.

"How the fuck do you know?" Alaric shouted louder this time, "Tell me how!" his eyes burned as so many emotions crossed his face, fear being the most prominent.

"Oh screw this!" Alaric bellowed dismissively and held his hands up in defeat. He turned on his heel and stalked down the stairs. His footsteps echoed off the floor boards and he slammed the door behind him, making her flinch once more.

"That went well," Damon scoffed.

She shuddered involuntarily as she stared numbly at Damon, "Real mature," she sniffed. Ric had walked out on her. His reaction was far more worse than she could've ever imagined. "You can follow him out."

Damon moved quickly across the room toward her. She stepped back as he reached out.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, bewildered.

"I'm not running," he gave her a tight smile as he hugged her.

Elena stiffened. Since when did Damon Salvatore hug?

"I'm going to be here this time," he murmured, burying his face in her hair, "I'm here."

That was her undoing, as she gave in to his embrace and wept into his shirt.


	17. The Invader

"Elena," Damon hovered over her.

She sat up quickly, dashing the tears from her face. She had fallen asleep on the couch?

"Tea?" he asked gently.

Elena grimaced, "I need hard liquor."

Damon paused for a fraction of a second and raised his brows, "You sure, princess?"

Oh! The baby. With a heart beat. She couldn't have alcohol, could she? She must bing the dos and don'ts.

"Actually, no thanks," she wiped her nose.

Damon smirked and sat beside her, "You don't have to do this. There's always this other option," Damon studied her face for any sort of emotion.

"No," instinctively her hand swooped down to rest protectively over her belly. No. tears sprung to her eyes.

"Elena," Damon sighed, "It's a baby. If you're lonely, you can adopt a puppy."

"Stop treating me like a freaking child!" Elena sobbed uncontrollably, "I'm aware of what this means. Crap, why am I crying all the time?" she sniffled.

"Estrogen," Damon rolled his eyes.

Something shook Elena out of her hormonal frenzy. A sound.

"Shit!"

It was Alaric in the porch.

"Shit!" he repeated, more muffled this time.

She scrambled up in time to see him stagger through the door. He was drunk. She leapt up and ran toward him.

"Ric, are you okay?"

He leaned against the door, "Elena," he grinned, "You're pretty."

Crap. He was very drunk. She looked at Damon, weary.

Damon nodded in understanding and he was beside Alaric in an instant, supporting his weight, "I got you, buddy. Let's get you to bed."

"Okay," he said as he tried to concentrate.

They stumbled up the stairs and finally made it into the bedroom.

"Bed," Ric beamed.

"Yes, bed," Damon sat him down, but Ric held him.

"Join me," he smirked.

"Ric, it's Damon. Dam- on," he pronounced the syllables, terrified, "Not Elena."

"Where's Elena?" his face marred with confusion.

"I'm here," Elena emerged from the corridor.

"Come," Ric gestured to the bed.

"I think you need to sleep," Elena whispered.

"And so it begins," he frowned, "I've heard about this."

"Heard about what?" she moved to stand beside him.

"Babies mean no sex," he whined.

Damon snorted, "I'm sure that's not true."

Alaric rested his hands on Elena's hip and jerked her forward, pressing his nose against her belly, "And we have an invader in here."

She stopped breathing. Holy crap, he was talking to the baby.

Damon looked at her through long dark lashes, his grey eyes blurred and cloudy.

"You'll choose him over me," Alaric said sadly and for a minute, she thought he meant Damon.

Elena's heart constricted. "Ric, no, don't be ridiculous. I'm not choosing anyone over anyone. And he might be a she."

His eyes widened, "A girl? Oh god!" he flopped back down on the bed and covered his eyes with his arm, "I don't want to share you yet."

Within seconds, he passed out completely. She stared at him. He was beautiful, even drunk and snoring. His lips parted, one arm above his head, his messy hair ruffled and his face relaxed. He looked so young. When she finally peeked up at Damon, he was watching her intently and at that moment, she knew that he felt about her the same way she felt about Ric. She knew that everyone she loved, was right there in that room.

* * *

Elena walked across the forest clearing, to where Alaric stood under a juniper, with a pale little dark haired boy. The boy was holding Ric's hand, his plump little fingers tenderly entwined with his. He watched her approach him, with stormy grey eyes and a glorious smile that revealed perfectly square teeth.

But as Elena took another step toward the boy, Alaric let go of his hand, stepping back.

She froze as she stared at him. Alaric's expression shifted from anxiety to dread to betrayal. The sight of him confused and scared, severed through her core. Oh no!

The little boy smirked, grey eyes glittering like snowflakes against the night sky. He held out his now free hand to her, his fingers pink from the biting cold that encompassed the woods. She hesitated in her tracks, her eyes flitting between Ric and the boy.

There was something about the boy that seemed to haul her toward him. She was like a moth and he, the flame- the lure, undeniable. Yet, every time she placed a foot in his direction, Ric backed further and further away.

"No! I can't choose!" Elena slurred as the supple light of the dawn seeped through the closed blinds in her room and cast soft shadows across her face.

"Elena! Elena!" Alaric's voice was urgent, pulling her from the depths of her nightmare, the depths of her fears, "I'm here. You're alright."

She sat up reaching for him, grasping his shoulders in a bear hug, her face etched with anguish, brown eyes wide and brimming with tears.

"Ric," her voice was a breathless whisper, "I can't choose. Don't make me choose."

"I won't," he comforted her. He was well aware that he had screwed things up the previous night. The pregnancy had been too much to take in after learning the truth about Elena and Damon. Nevertheless, he hadn't handled things like he should have. "Hush, it's alright. We're alright."

"I had a dream-"

"I know. I'm here baby." If Elena wanted a child, she could have one. Hell, she could have dozens. He wouldn't make her choose between him and a defenseless little baby.

"Damon," she sobbed, "Where's Damon?"

Black choking panic coursed through his body. Damon?

She curled around him as his warmth forced back the shadows. He was sunshine. He was light. He was hers.

"He needs us. Damon needs us. We can't bail on him," Elena spoke in a rush.

* * *

** Thank you for your reviews, guys. I know this chapter is small, but I posted it anyway because I really didn't want to make Alaric look bad :) Cheers!**


	18. I Choose Love

** Hey guys! Thank you so much for all your comments and reviews. I really appreciate it :) And to those who fuss about Alaric and Elena, please read the summary. It's a Damon- Alaric- Elena fan- fiction and Alarena is to be expected and I usually put up sufficient alerts before an Alarena chapter too. I suggest that you don't read it if it genuinely offends you. Cheers!**

* * *

"Ohhh Jayzuz!" Bonnie banged her head on the table, "What has the world come to?"

Matt sat still, "He's old enough to be her father."

"He _is_ her father! I mean he's her-" Bonnie was lost for words, "I'm going to puke!"

"No wait. There's seventeen- eighteen years between them? That happens," Matt reasoned.

"He was her guardian, for god's sake! He's in loco parentis! He's not supposed to- to-"

Damon rolled his eyes all the way back into his head. When was Bonnie ever going to believe that someone was good enough for Elena? He didn't count on it.

"Was," Matt stressed, "She's eighteen now. When you spend so much time together, may be-"

Bonnie glowered at Matt, "They were in bed together! I mean, please!"

Matt nodded, "Do you know something, Bonnie? I think this is right."

"And I think I want to die. Like Elena's brain cells," Bonnie grunted.

Or like Elena if they didn't come up with a plan to stop Katherine, Damon frowned.

"Enough with the teen drama, Judgy. How about we pretend like we're the non- judging breakfast club for a day? I'll start," he grinned.

"Why are _you_ so perky?" Bonnie raised her brow, "Last time I checked, you were melting for her like butter on a stack of Flap Jacks."

"Well, I don't remember you being ecstatic about that either."

"I wonder why I wasn't. Oh wait, now I remember! You turned my mother!" she shrieked, "How about you turn Matt too and I make you witch cookies?"

"Believe it or not Bonnie, it was either your mother or Elena. Elena's life was on the balance and I chose to save her because that's the kind of person I am. I'll always save Elena. Abby was just collateral damage. You can hate me all you want for it," Damon clarified, "Perhaps you'd understand why this is relevant if you'd just shut up."

"Perhaps you'd understand why you can't talk to me this way if I just pop your blood vessels," Bonnie scowled.

"Alright alright!" Matt appeased, "We don't have time for this, guys."

Damon and Bonnie ignored him and continued to shoot invisible daggers at each other.

"Katherine must be out there plotting her next move and she has Stefan on her side, god knows how," he glared at Damon. Matt somehow couldn't bring himself to entirely believe Damon's story. It probably had something to do with the fact that he'd killed his sister. "As tempting as it is to rip each other's hearts out, we need to work together."

"Turns out there is hope for the quarterback, after all," Damon smirked at Matt.

"Why are we keeping Elena and Ric in the dark?" Bonnie asked irritated.

"Because I know Elena," Damon sighed, "She would just willingly sacrifice herself in order to protect everyone she loves. She can't know."

"Not if that means sacrificing her child," Bonnie scoffed, "She has a tiny person she loves, inside her."

Damon's mouth curled into a wicked smile. Bonnie was good.

Just then, Matt's phone buzzed incessantly. "Caroline," he said by way of explanation to the two inquisitive stares.

Bonnie nodded and continued, "Besides, we need to keep her as far away from Katherine and her minions as possible. Katherine can't know that Elena is-" Bonnie lowered her voice, "Pregnant, which leaves us with no choice."

"Elena needs to know," Matt finished for her.

* * *

The possibility of living without Alaric was no longer the inconvenience it had once been. It was no longer like living with a dull sense of something missing, but with a sharp awareness of an absent necessity. Living without Ric, Elena decided, was like being in one of those nightmares in which she couldn't breathe and woke up gasping.

He was in the kitchen, grading papers when she walked in. She could barely contain the newborn edginess that was making her go berserk. She had asked Ric to not make her choose between him and Damon. She was having a tough time trying to comprehend what she had meant. Elena knew him well enough to be certain that he would never bring it up unless she did.

"Hey you," Alaric looked up and pinned her with his gaze.

Elena flushed, wishing he couldn't read her so well, "I'm sorry to interrupt."

"You should always come to me when you need something," pushing the papers aside, he patted the empty space on the counter and wheeled his chair back, "Come sit."

A thrill rushed through her. She hurried over, making no effort to hide her eagerness. She hopped onto the counter and smiled wide when he rolled his chair forward to fill the space between her legs.

Draping his arms over her thighs, he hugged her around the hips and said, "I owe you an explanation."

"You don't say," she pushed her fingers through his hair.

"I wanted you all to myself for a while. And I really, really messed up. Maybe this whole time, I was just in denial." his eyes closed as she touched him.

Huh? "What you said," Elena tried to verbalize her impetuous thoughts, "About not being ready for a," she struggled, "Do you feel like-"

He watched her patiently as she continued to stammer.

"Like I'm railroading you?" she whispered.

Alaric gawked at her with disbelief. Why she felt so insecure was beyond him. He had knocked her up for screaming out loud.

"Why would you say that?" he frowned.

"I," Elena paused to breathe, "I don't want to drag you into anything you don't want to do."

"Wait, where are you going with this?" he asked troubled.

"Let me get there," she tucked at a stray lock of hair. "I'm giving you an escape clause."

"A what?" he chuckled.

"You can leave. Right now. Run."

"What if I don't want to?" he demanded.

"Then, you're in this forever. You can't walk out on me. I've had too many people walk out on me," she laid it out.

He leaned back in his chair, "You know the way I am. You've seen me at my worst. You want to keep the baby," he waited for her nod, "I fucked up. I didn't trust you to make that decision for yourself and I should have. I've been too cautious with you. Your past scares me, Elena."

The thought of Damon indirectly taking Ric away from her was so painful, she drew her knees to her chest. She decided to go for the truth, "Damon," she breathed, "He's a part of me. No matter what I do, I can't seem to shake him off," she sighed.

"Then don't," he snapped.

Elena stared at him, bewildered. What?

"You have to realize there's more than one answer for everything. Who says we can't share? Who says it's not healthy? Not you. You're unhappy because you're holding yourself back."

"Men don't share-"

"Fuck that. Neither of us is typical. _And that's okay. _Turn off that voice in your head that's screwing you up. Trust me to know what you need, even when you think I'm wrong. And I'll trust your decision to be with me despite my faults. Got it?"

Elena bit her lower lip to hide its trembling. He was willing to share her?

"You don't look convinced," he said softly.

"I'm afraid we'll lose each other, Ric. I'm scared I'll lose the part of me I worked so hard to get back. The part that is finally willing to believe."

"I'd never let that happen," he promised fiercely. "What I want is for you to feel safe. What you and I have together shouldn't be draining us like this. We both need a rock- solid thing we can count on."

Damon. Her eyes stung with tears at the thought, "I want that," she whispered, "So much."

"I'm going to give it to you, Elena," he pulled her down, brushing his lips over hers, "I'm going to give it to both of us. And you're going to let me."

* * *

Matt lingered until Bonnie and Damon left the grill to sneak out to the emergency exit that opened up to an alleyway. His phone rang then, shrill and demanding.

He grabbed the phone mid-ring, and twisted around so that he was facing the wall, "Hello?"

"Matt?" the familiar voice sent a wave of wistfulness through him.

"Yes."

"Why weren't you answering your phone?" the voice came out flustered.

"I wasn't alone."

There was a short pause.

"I have news for you," he added.

Another pause.

"It's happening," he nodded, dazed.


	19. One Step Ahead

Elena's throat was sore like she had gobbled up desert sand. It felt dry. When she turned her head slowly to the side, even that little motion hurt.

Alaric was beside her, slumped forward, his palms pressed to his forehead. His face was visibly obscured, but what she could see of it was deadly white. He was scared. _Ric_ was scared- this couldn't be good.

Elena turned back to Damon so quickly that her head spun, "What- what does this mean?" she stammered, her voice hoarse, "What are we going to do?"

"We? _You_ are not doing anything, princess," Damon smiled, "Leave it to the adults."

"Elena, we won't let her touch you," Bonnie whispered, "You've got nothing to worry about."

"Really?" Elena scoffed, "It's me she wants. Me and my-" my child, she thought. Somehow saying it out loud would only make it more real.

Damon watched Elena's expression go from anxiety to terror as she gently caressed her belly. Bonnie was right.

"It doesn't matter who she wants. I have enough dead- witch power to take on Katherine," Bonnie stated, derisive.

"That's the spirit," Damon grinned.

"Plus we have Damon, the impulsive psychopath with no redeeming qualities, on our side. I already consider this a win," Bonnie declared.

"That's the spirit, you go Bon- Bon!" Damon cheered, "Wait, what?"

"When is it?" Alaric finally managed to mumble, casting blank, impassive eyes at Damon.

Damon's smile froze in his face, his chest suddenly weighing a ton. Tonight. The meteor shower was tonight and he was sitting around joking about it. What if they couldn't stop Katherine? What if her witch was more powerful? What if Elena decided to sacrifice herself? What if-?

Elena's phone buzzed, breaking through his reverie.

Elena squinted as she read **JEREMY** in big, bold letters, flash across the screen. Her thoughts screeched to a halt, while her fingers trembled in shock. She stared at Damon, perplexed as she undecidedly tapped on the screen.

She had a lucid idea of what this meant. It could only mean that Katherine was using Jeremy as a bargaining chip. Whatever this was, she couldn't do it with Damon, Bonnie and Ric gawking at her like she would slip right though their fingers if they as much as blinked.

She got off her bed and strutted down to the living room trying to balance herself with one foot down and the other in air, as she strapped on her sneakers.

When she slid down the front- porch steps, she could feel the chilly breeze brush across the skin in her neck, giving invisible little wings to the strands of hair that had escaped her lose ponytail. The sun hadn't managed to cast away the early darkness yet but she could catch glimpses of thick clouds gradually spreading across the sky.

Please let Jeremy be in Denver, she sent a silent prayer heavenward and inhaled deeply as she held the phone to her ear.

"Hello Elena," the voice was light and sweet, a bit too sweet, it made her sick.

"Katherine," she whispered, "Where's Jeremy?"

"Oh, he's right here," Katherine giggled.

"How did you get to him?" Elena hissed.

"You think I would leave town just two days before the ritual, Elena?"

Elena stiffened, "What ritual?"

"Come off it, you. You can tell Damon and that witch friend of yours that whatever they're planning isn't going to work."

"Leave Jeremy alone," Elena pleaded, "He's all I've got."

"I beg to differ," Katherine snorted, "What about that History professor and his spawn?"

Elena gasped, "How did you-?"

"Find out? Well, the same way I got Jeremy to fly into town. Your friend Matt here is proving out to be very handy. Appetizingly scrumptious as well."

Elena strolled across the neighborhood to get as far away from Damon as possible. The last thing she needed was him eavesdropping.

"Tonight will go down as planned, Elena. Don't try to screw it up," Katherine crooned.

"I won't," Elena breathed, "Just let Matt and-"

Before she could get the words out, Damon knocked her down, snatching her phone and pinning her to the ground in an instant.

"Damon!" Elena moaned.

"Hush," he slapped his palm on her mouth, glaring at her, his eyes burning and furious as he switched the phone to speaker.

"Katherine," he growled, "I see you're running scared already."

There was a brief pause, "Ah, the faux hero come to the rescue," Katherine sneered, "Tell me Damon, isn't it exhausting, playing pretend?"

"Cheap shot, bitch," he snarled, "So you've compelled Matt. You're fooling yourself if you think that it changes anything. Tonight, you get a stake through your heart no matter what."

Elena squirmed under his weight, trying to break free. Riling Katherine up never turned out well for anyone involved. But Damon didn't budge. He just held her down effortlessly, his palm pressed tight against her lips.

"Stefan," Katherine called, "Go ahead and snap Little Gilbert's neck."

Damon's features hardened as he blinked in confusion. Little Gilbert?

His ears caught a muffled cry and a thud before he could entirely process her words.

"There, heard that, Damon? That was the sound of your brother snapping Jeremy's neck."

His grip on Elena eased as he felt her stop fighting him, her head flopping back. Stefan. Had Damon forgotten to mention that Stefan was in Team Katherine now?

"Jeremy?" Damon faltered, "Jere- Jeremy isn't in town." Or is he? He glanced at Elena, alarmed.

"Of course he is. He's on the floor."

Elena stared up at the sky, paralyzed. _On the floor. _Oh no!

"Don't you worry, Elena," Katherine cooed soothingly, "He has his ring on."

The words were like a breath of life as Damon collapsed beside Elena, like a deflated balloon, his breathing decelerating.

"But, it wouldn't take me much to compel Matt to kill him, would it?"

Elena sat up, grabbing the phone, "No!"

"Meet you at the altar then?" Katherine giggled vehemently.

Elena swallowed down the thickness in her throat, "Yes."

"Good girl. Honoria Fell's tomb. Matt walks away when you get here."

"What about Jeremy?" she merely managed to whisper.

Damon watched Elena with mute dread as the line went dead.

* * *

"It's not late to back out," Alaric said, his expression bleak.

"You'd really choose me over Jeremy?" Elena muttered, annoyed.

Alaric opened his mouth and pressed it shut almost immediately. It was Jeremy. How could he possibly choose? "I won't have to," he offered her a sad smile, "I trust Damon."

She glanced up, momentarily caught in his gaze and froze. They stared at each other. Her heart kicked into a mad beat in a combination of desire and apprehension.

He cursed suddenly, pulling her to him and kissing her lips ardently, like he had never before. His mouth was not gentle. There was a brand-new edge of conflict and desperation in the way his lips moved. Elena locked her arms around his neck and trembled.

He didn't stop kissing her. She was the one who had to break away, gasping for air. Even then his lips did not leave her skin, they just moved down to her throat.

She pulled his lips back to hers, moaning as his tongue explored her mouth. One of his hands cupped her face, his other arm tight around her waist, straining her closer to him.

"It's time."

Elena and Ric pulled away from each other as they heard Damon's voice.

"Ready?" Damon beamed, giving away nothing.

Elena nodded, scrutinizing him vigilantly. It was so exasperating trying to read into him.

"Alright," Alaric cleared his throat, "I've got the weapons in the car."

"We have a weapon. We have Bonnie," Damon looked at him ruefully.

"Goodbye, Ric," she kissed his forehead reverently and turned on her heels, brushing past Damon to Bonnie's car.

Alaric frowned, "What do you mean?" he asked disoriented, "I'm coming with you." He followed Elena out but when he reached the front yard, he abruptly came to a stop. He glanced around, plainly disconcerted. He tried stepping forward again but could not. Something seemed to be preventing him from moving any further. An invisible barrier.

"Damon! What is this?"

"You're in house arrest. Witchy did a little spell."

"Sorry, Ric," Elena sighed, "I can't put your life at risk."

Alaric's eyes widened, fractionally, "You can't do this! Damon?"

"Sorry, buddy. She's right."

"What?" Alaric banged his fists against the barrier, "You can't do this! Bonnie! Bonnie!" he bellowed as they got into the car and drove into the dark.

* * *

"Remember the drill? I go first. I get as close to the tomb as possible so I can sense the witch's energy force. From what I gathered from the Lockwood's party, she is rather powerful but I'm positive Damon can take her down," Bonnie spoke under her breath, "Wait for my text," she said to Damon as she turned and ducked through the bushes.

"I kill the witch so Bonnie can conserve her power to use against Katherine," Damon whispered, "I can handle little bro."

"No," Elena admonished him firmly, "Katherine will kill Matt and Jeremy the minute she senses your presence. It's not a risk I'm willing to take."

"So what is your plan, oh warrior princess?" Damon glared at her, his voice reeking of aggravation, "To waltz into the devil's cave and get yourself killed? Well, that's not a risk _I'm_ willing to take."

"It's not up to you," Elena murmured.

"It's not?" Damon challenged, taking a step forward, "Why not Elena?" he brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers.

The attraction was still there. It was nothing like what she felt with Alaric, but it was there nonetheless.

She retreated back.

"I can't," she swallowed, "There's nothing to say."

"Bullshit!" The intensity of his glare burned through her, "You stopped loving me? Just because I stopped showing up? Why?"

She rubbed at the knot in her stomach. What was she going to say? _I finally grew a pair and decided I deserved better than to be one of the chicks you toyed with?_

"How, Elena? We had something going and you know it. How can it just fucking disappear?"

Turning her head, she searched for Bonnie. She wasn't anywhere in sight, "It doesn't matter now."

Damon lunged forward and caught her by the arms, briefly startling her with the sudden aggressive movement. If she hadn't known him better, it might have triggered panic, but she did.

"You owe me an explanation," he bit out.

"I don't-"

He kissed her. His lips were rough as he sealed them over hers and kissed her. By the time she registered what was happening, he'd tightened his grip on her arms and she couldn't move away. Couldn't push him away.

And for a brief span of time she didn't want to.

She even kissed him back, because the attraction was evident and it soothed the pain and fear inside her. He took her mouth with all the passion he could muster. He was familiar, in every intimate way. But in the end, it didn't matter that he got to her still. It didn't matter that they had a history, painful as it was for her. It didn't matter that he was willing to go to any extent to save her life. None of that mattered because she was madly in love with Ric and he was what she needed.

She wrenched away with a gasp, retreating further back.

Damon's pale eyes softened, "I know when to stop, princess," he sighed, hurt etched on his flawless features.


	20. All Bets Are Off

**Hello guys! Thank you so much for all your motivating comments! Love you all so much :') I hope this chapter answers some of your questions! Cheers! **

* * *

Elena felt as if she had been doing nothing in all her life except stand under a shady canopy of high branches. It wasn't cold there, but it was breezy. It wasn't dark, but it was dim. Instead of the rays of silvery light from the fading moon, it felt like they were standing in a constant dusk. It was unnerving, always looking up at the sky and never seeing the much anticipated meteors.

"What is taking her so long?" Elena decided to break the awkward silence that was looming over them.

Damon cursed as he held his phone in mid air, "You've got to be kidding me!"

"What is it?"

"This is just peachy," he muttered, hurling the piece of metal into the night.

"Damon!"

"What?" he snapped.

"We can't just stand here," Elena knew that Damon was seething, but she couldn't bring herself to bother enough.

He turned his smoldering gaze on her. After a brief second he shrugged and started for the bushes.

"No no no," Elena cried, "You're not going."

Damon ground his teeth in frustration, "Just what are you suggesting?"

"I don't know," Elena sighed, "Turn into a crow or something. Don't let Katherine see you."

"Geez Elena, that never occurred to me."

"Look, if you're mad you can take it out on me later. Not when Jeremy, Matt and Bonnie's lives are hanging in the balance!"

"If we make it out alive," Damon hissed.

"Damon, stop it! Just _stop_!" Elena said, rubbing her hot forehead with cold fingers, "I'm going in there. You can do whatever the hell you want."

"Turning into a crow would extract a lot of energy, Elena," he wondered why he felt the urge to explain himself, "Energy I could use on what we're up against."

Elena sucked in all the air her lungs could hold.

"I can feed you my blood and you'll still be alive tomorrow."

Elena's eyes widened. Of course, that was where Damon's thoughts were. How did she not see it? She didn't want to be a vampire. Never did, and now she had even more reason to say no.

"I know it's not an option anymore," Damon shifted bleak, foggy eyes to her stomach, "Go ahead. I'll back you up," he gestured toward the bushes.

Elena blinked, surprised at his unforeseen thoughtfulness and nodded. Before she could get a word out, Damon was gone.

* * *

Damon sent probes of power as far as he could reach, seeking another mind. But either it was so well disguised as to be invisible or it didn't exist at all. What was he thinking, leaving Ric behind? They could earnestly use his mad skills right now.

Just when he could finally get a glimpse of the tomb that was a tunnel into the raw earth, his nose caught a rusty, metallic scent. Blood.

He shot toward the source, not pausing to think if it was a trap. The smell grew pungent as he neared the cemetery and before he knew it, he felt his body giving away, slumping, falling, and he could no longer feel the grass under his boots. He fell forever and never knew when he hit the ground.

* * *

Elena was equally groggy and grateful by the time she could finally will her clammy eye lids to lift- she had been rigorously claiming any sort of muscular movement for what seemed like hours now, but her body had merely refused.

Her throat throbbed as though she had been forcibly made to ingest crude oil. An involuntary moan escaped her as she scanned the stifling familiarity of the tomb. When her eyes settled on the figure in the skin- tight black dress, lighting candles, a pang of dread hit her so solid it made her giddy.

"Katherine?" she whispered.

Katherine flashed a wily, predatory smile, "I don't know what Damon sees in you," she rolled her eyes, "I mean you're just a less hot version of me."

Damon? "What did you do to him?" she hissed.

"See for yourself," Katherine giggled as she placed a candle to her right.

A painful turning of her head to the side revealed Damon. His jacket was ripped open, and the sight of the wound made Elena sick. His shirt hung in tatters, and Elena could see the tiny movement of his ribs as he breathed. If it hadn't been for that, she would have thought he was dead. Blood matted his hair and ran into his closed eyes. His head sagged against his chest.

Revolted, Elena shut her eyes and turned her face away. If only her head would stop spinning. "How could you do this?"

"Oh, you want me to show you?" Katherine walked to Damon, grinning impishly and grasped him by his hair. Yanking his head up, she sank her teeth into his neck.

"No! Don't hurt him!" Elena stumbled to her knees.

Damon moaned even in unconsciousness. Elena saw his body jerk reflexively with pain.

"Please stop," she screamed, "Please, just stop!"

"But I'm hungry," Katherine whined, "Gretchia is out there getting everything together for the sacrifice. Any minute now."

Sacrifice. Elena shivered at the word. "Drink from me," she heard herself offering before she could put a mind and mouth filter.

Katherine lifted her head, blood running down her chin.

"Katherine, it's time," Elena was struck by the familiarity of the voice and felt an inner spasm as she tried to focus and found herself looking into impassive green eyes.

Oh god. He held Bonnie by her waist as he shoved her forward, "Don't try anything," he warned, "Gretchia has your powers. Stay grounded and you wouldn't lose them forever."

"Stefan," Elena said, but he didn't respond, instead he fixed his gaze on Damon's mangled form. Elena searched his face for any emotion at all and came out with none. Had he turned off his humanity? An unwelcome thought slid into her mind.

"Elena, I'm so sorry," Bonnie sobbed ceaselessly.

Elena opened her mouth to console her when she felt a surge of power hit her to her side. She turned her head to Damon instantly.

"Bring her up," she heard Katherine whisper indistinctly and step out of sight as she willed herself to focus on Damon.

After a moment, Damon lifted his head slowly and blinked. There was no astonishment in his face. He leaned back, his eyes sleepy and looked at Stefan for a minute. Then he smiled, a faint and painful smile, "A trap. I should've known."

Stefan snorted, "But you didn't."

"Ironic isn't it?" Damon let out a feeble chuckle as his eyes fell on Elena, "That I should be playing Batman and little bro, Penguin."

"Come on. Up you get," Stefan finally addressed Elena.

Elena's feet were numb and cramped.

"Stefan, listen to me," Damon said shakily, "We've hurt each other enough for Katherine. We didn't know what a selfish, manipulative bitch she was then, but now we do and it's time we put an end to this."

Stefan frowned, "If I were you, I'd chose my words more carefully."

"I know you, Stefan," Elena whispered, "This isn't you."

"Still not bad enough for you, I see," Stefan raised his eyebrows in wry amusement.

"Don't let her do this to us again, Stef," Damon tried to keep him talking as he struggled to get off the ground.

Bonnie and Elena watched them with dread filled eyes.

"She isn't responsible for this, brother," Stefan smirked, "Never was. We've always wanted to claw each other's hearts out."

"We were best friends," Damon reminded him of the days that they had been brothers, "Before Katherine."

"Not up for brother bonding, Damon."

"She just strung us along. Turned us against each other," Damon continued.

Elena watched Stefan's pupils dilate and all she could think was, 'Stop talking, Damon. He isn't himself.'

"Like what Elena is doing is any different," Stefan scoffed.

"Doesn't make sense," Damon finally stood on his feet, his back resting against the rock- strewn wall of the cave.

"It doesn't?" Stefan smiled, "Didn't get a chance to steal Elena's diary recently?"

Elena stared at him, shell shocked. "You read my diary?" Elena flared.

"You've got to learn to hide your freaking diary, Elena," Bonnie groaned.

"Let me see, these are your exact words now," Stefan said, "'Dear Diary, why do love triangles always end in loss and heartbreak? Why can't a person love two people at the same time? Here's what I think, the more you love, the more you find to love. Why can't three people give in to love and just share- all three of them.'"

Oh god, Elena hid her face behind her palms.

"Oh god!" Bonnie sounded dizzy.

"Oh god!" Damon repeated, "All bets," he breathed, "Are off."


	21. A Gateway To Hope

**Thanks a lot for all your reviews, guys! :) Here's chapter 21. I honestly had a tough time writing it. Hope you like it! Cheers! **

* * *

Elena sat rooted to the ground, making no attempt to defend herself. What could she possibly say? That it was not true? Because it was and there was no denying that.

"I think my life just took a full- scale lap," Damon gasped.

"Oh, don't blame her brother," Stefan said coolly, "We've seen this before, haven't we? Somehow when all is said and done, you're never really enough," he smirked.

Damon's face contorted with animalistic fury. His fists clenched and his lips curled back to show sharp teeth.

"Damon!" Elena screamed, seeing him poised to pitch himself at his brother, but she was too late.

Despite the fact that he was bleeding and hurt, Damon's leap was grace itself, his muscles launching him into thin air.

Bonnie watched him as if caught in the flash of a lightning, but her voice screamed out on its own. "Damon, no!"

The scene was too fast for Elena's eyes. When she could finally see through the blur, the two figures were down on the hard ground, brawling like wolves, snarling. Stefan was on top, his fingers clutching at Damon's throat. Damon was beyond wounded for words. Anger washed through Elena, anger and protectiveness. She reached between the two of them to grab Stefan's choking hand, to pry the fingers up.

She didn't care that she wasn't strong enough to do it. She wouldn't let him hurt Damon, that was all. She threw her weight to the side, wrenching him away from Damon. Knocking him flat on his face, she began to choke him from behind.

Her attack had taken him by surprise, but he was far from beaten. He struck back at her, his hands fumbling for her throat. His thumb dug into her windpipe.

Elena found herself resisting the assault, but he was stronger than she was. With a jerk of his shoulders, he broke what little friction her feet had managed to find, flinging her down. And then he was above her, his face twisted with untainted ferocity.

She hissed at him and went for his eyes with her nails, but he knocked her hand away. He was going to kill her. His fangs were out, already drenched in blood- Damon's blood. Like a cobra, he was ready to strike.

Then he stopped, hovering over her, his face changing.

Elena saw his green eyes widen. His pupils sprang open. He was staring down at her as if truly seeing her for the first time.

Why was he looking at her that way? Why didn't he just get it over with?

"Elena," he whispered, his voice cracking.

She cast a glance toward Damon. He was still there, standing over them, frowning at her, panting, supporting himself, ready to yank Stefan off her.

"What's taking you so long?" Katherine's voice sent an uh- oh chill down Elena's spine.

Stefan sprung up, snapping Damon's neck in a split second and hurling him back to the ground. Before Bonnie could let a scream out, he was gone. And so was Elena.

* * *

"You're shaking," Gretchia remarked, putting a hand on Katherine's shoulder as they stood together in the dull, candle- lit clearing.

Katherine made herself stop. It was humiliating to be shaking so obviously. It was humiliating to be shaking. Period. Katherine Pierce couldn't be seen as weak, but she felt oddly so.

Gretchia stood tall and confident, her dark hair was pulled back and her eyes were large as she chanted latin incantations.

Katherine felt smaller, younger even. She uneasily ran a hand through her curls, trying to fluff them up a half inch higher.

"I'm not scared. I'm just-" Katherine said with all the dignity she could muster, "Worried."

"I know. You feel something, don't you?" Gretchia nodded at the sky.

Katherine looked up and back at her witch. It was cold, this energy, like the breath out of a meat locker. Katherine felt as if it would suck out her own life-force (if she had one) and turn it into ice.

"It'll work, you'll see," Gretchia assured her, "Now, where's our precious little doppelganger?"

Stefan cleared his throat, his hand clutching Elena's wrist like a vise.

"The circle," Gretchia gestured to the heart of the clearing.

Elena would never forget that brief journey, no matter how hard she tried. Stefan hauled her across the shallow opening of the cave and into the blood- curdling clearing. It took some maneuvering to get her to obey. In the center was a circular patch of mud, the weeds curving along its fringe. At least that was what Elena's now foggy vision told her.

Stefan hastily- and none too gently, shoved her into the circle, "Kneel."

She looked at him round- eyed and sank to the ground.

"_Igni eris manete_!" Gretchia enunciated as she threw her hands up in the air and as the first meteor shot across the sky, scotching flames emerged from the ground, encompassing the patch all too well.

Hell fire, Elena thought, terrified. Tears welled up in her eyes. If only she could cry, really cry, for her, for her baby. But something stopped her. She found it hard to wring out a tear. God, she was exhausted.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to think about anything. Trying not to think about the heat waves that were licking at her like a dragon's breath; trying not to think about the one person she never would have thought in her worst nightmares, would turn against her; trying not to think about Katherine flashing an all- teeth showing smirk like she had won the state lottery; trying not to think about the one she had left home without a proper goodbye; trying not to think about the child she had miserably failed to protect. Trying not to think about the one person who she was sure would never know what she truly felt for him.

_There, _she spoke in a special frequency, a frequency she was sure only her child could hear, _It'll be over. Just a few more minutes._

* * *

Not a good day to be a crow, Damon thought to himself as he settled on a tree and reluctantly tugged at his plumes, cursing himself for picking such a muggy old small town to land his ass in. Of course, he was only there to bust Katherine out of the tomb in which Emily Bennett had trapped her a century ago. Not that he would ever hand- pick Mystic Falls for a fiesta.

"Damon," the blissfully familiar voice shook him out of his self- absorption, dragging his eyes to the sound. It was just a whisper. A fragile one at that, but it seemed to disrupt the sky. He didn't have to look to know who it was. It was a voice he would know anywhere. Know and recognize regardless of whether he was awake or asleep. Or even dead.

She smiled up at him from under the muted shade of the tree. She was in a soft white sundress, her hair floating behind her like huge ebony wings. Elena.

Damon swooped down in an instant, landing right next to her, but he was still a crow. He narrowed his eyes, perplexed, and willed himself to obtain his true form. But he couldn't.

How was he supposed to communicate with her?

Elena fell to her knees, draping herself over the meadow like a day old daisy. Supporting herself on her elbows, she casually rubbed under his chin like she did it all the time.

He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth in her finger tips grow through him like a pulse.

_Heaven? _Damon wondered as he leaned into her touch.

Elena's giggles resonated with the sounds of birdsongs, "We're in a cemetery," she stated, "Where you first saw me."

_Or where I first sent you running away screaming, _Damon remembered.

Elena giggled again, "Yes, you did."

_You can hear me._

"Damon," Elena caressed his feathers, "Do you remember when we first met? At the boarding house? When I dropped by to see Stefan?"

How could he not? Even though that wasn't the first time he had officially met her, but he decided to keep it to himself. _I do._

"I almost let you kiss me then. Before I even knew your name- when you just came drifting out of the darkness."

Damon, surprised by her unveiled confession, stared into her russet brown eyes.

_Do you do that with all the random mysterious strangers you meet? _He teased.

Elena burst out laughing again, only this time more buoyantly- if that was even possible.

Damon couldn't help but notice how relaxed she was. So at ease, so young, so… different. _I love to hear you laugh. You never laugh._

"That's when I fell in love with you, Damon," Elena pointed to his chest.

Damon cocked his head to one side, regarding her carefully, _What?_

"The way you looked at me, you sent my heart into a wild frenzy. You had me right then and there," a lone drop of tear slipped down Elena's face.

Fuck, Damon cursed. _Don't cry Elena! No more crying over me, please princess._

Elena steadied herself. She couldn't chance to lose the dear time she had left. Elena cupped his face with her hands and kissed him on his beak, "Do you feel that?"

_Forever, princess, _Damon said, _You're a part of me._

"Damon!" a distant voice seemed to haul him away from her. From Elena.

_No! _Damon sent out an unseen surge of power. _Don't make me leave!_

Elena sat up, startled, "Damon, I love you," she blurted out, "I love you. Always have. Always will."

_Princess, I-_

"Damon! Damon! Wake up!" Bonnie shook him, her voice pulling him out of the bright, vibrant meadow.

He opened his eyes to the contrasting shadows of the tomb, his heart racing.

"Elena?" he sat up dim- eyed.

"Bonnie," she gasped through tears, "It's Bonnie. Drink my blood," she put her wrist to his mouth.

Damon's eyes widened fractionally, "You pulled me away from Elena!"

"I'm the one who took you to her," Bonnie whispered, "I linked your minds."

"What?" It took him a moment to grasp her words, "I thought the witch stripped you of your powers?" Damon hissed.

"She didn't do a very good job. I still have my ancestor's powers."

"And how long have you exactly known that, Bonnie?" Damon growled, hope flaring in his chest.


	22. The Fury

Elena could feel the intense pain, as if her body had been plunged into venom. It felt like she was being severed in half. Like her insides were trying to claw themselves out. It was unbearable.

She screamed and fumbled for a hold. Something- anything to wield some pressure on and came up with nothing. She was surrounded by light. She felt as if her soul was filled with light. But, light was pain. Brain- numbing pain.

Her knees gave away to the gravity and as she looked up directly into the night sky, her body shuddered involuntarily. Something huge and red was hovering just above the horizon. It took Elena a moment to realize it was really the moon. It was large and unrealistic.

For a minute she could see the dim moonlight cast strange shadows, and there were pools of impenetrable gloom everywhere. Elena tried to lift herself off the ground, but she didn't have the strength. Her screams reached a climax and she felt like her hair was aflame just like her skin was.

Before she could blink, the darkness was overcast by showers of cosmic debris. Lines of fire opened in the sky.

Elena felt fire from both above and below.

Then she felt something grab her, seize her shoulders and yank her away. The coolness of the shade was like desert rains. Something was turning her, cradling her. She saw Damon's arms, red and bleeding where they had been scorched by the flames. She saw his face, saw the wounded horror and grief. Then her eyes blurred and she saw nothing.

* * *

Katherine's face twisted in rage as a low growl escaped her throat. Gretchia, momentarily goaded by the interruption, snapped her eyes open, her gaze raking over Elena's limp form sprawled across Damon's lap.

"Walk away, Damon," Katherine said as he lifted his gaze to her.

His expression was livid.

"I don't have to hurt you more than I already have."

"Where's Jeremy?" Damon glared at her.

"This is not your fight, Damon," Stefan sighed.

"Oh sure it is," Damon hissed, "Where is he?"

"There's three of us," Katherine sneered, "I would've thought even you could do the math."

Before Damon could come up with a retort, he felt Elena slightly shift in his lap. Her face was haggard with pain, but aware. Too aware. Damon almost wished that she was insensible to what was happening to her.

_Elena? _Damon thought.

He would have been foolish to think that he could reach her out with his mind but by some miracle, it worked. The mind- link was still effective.

_Leave. _Elena's thought was weak. Almost inaudible.

_Hold on, princess. _Damon squeezed her hand. _Just hold on._

_ I will. _Elena's thought came muffled. _Please leave. Get Bonnie out of here. And Jeremy. And Matt._

Damon shook his head, exasperated. She wanted him to leave her to die. Of course, based on his past, he couldn't blame her for thinking that he was someone who left. In fact, that was the one thing he was good at. Leaving. But that part of him was nowhere in the vicinity.

He gently lifted her off his lap and supported her against the trunk of a great oak. _Never._

He got to his feet and faced Katherine.

"Smart choice," she flashed an approving smile.

Elena carefully opened her eyes to the bright circle of fire. She heaved out a breath, thankful that she wasn't in it or even nearly close to it.

And then she saw Damon. Standing over her. Shielding her. At least that was what it looked like. His beautiful face was white and cold with fury. There was a killing light in his icy- blue eyes. Without even moving, he emanated such anger and menace that she found herself more frightened of him than she had been of Katherine.

"When I first met you, I knew you'd never learned any manners," said Damon. His voice was soft and frosty and light, and somehow it made Elena dizzy. She couldn't take her eyes off him as he moved toward Katherine, who was staring at him in a daze. Damon moved like a predator, every movement easy and precisely controlled. "But I had no idea that you were such a whore."

"Damon," Stefan began tightly, appalled by his nerve, "Stand down."

"You know, Katherine? There might be three of you but if I put one of you down," and with that, he struck at Gretchia. The witch had been standing right beside Katherine and Damon hit her almost negligently on the side of her face.

She flew against a headstone but almost instantly scrambled up and stood panting, her eyes wide. Elena saw a trickle of blood from her nose. Then Katherine charged.

Damon effortlessly knocked her aside. Katherine went slouching, face- down in the weeds. Katherine was slower in getting up and blood trickled down from a cut in her forehead.

Damon was hissing through his teeth as he threw himself at Gretchia but Stefan grabbed the back of his jacket, whirling them both around and absorbing the impact of the murderous rush. Then he let Damon drop.

Katherine grinned a big malicious grin and despite herself, Elena wanted to wrench out her teeth.

Damon's face was contorted, his eyes ablaze and he grabbed for Stefan's leg. Stefan jerked away and kicked him to his left, extracting a snarl and then a groan.

"Stefan!" Elena cried. She was frightened of what she was seeing, frightened of what Stefan might do. And frightened above all else of Stefan's expression- raw and deadly and utterly merciless. "Stefan, stop!"

His head snapped toward her, shocked, as if he had forgotten her presence. For a moment he looked at her without recognition, his eyes black in the moonlight, and she thought of some monster, some great lion or sleek carnivore incapable of human emotion. Then understanding came to his face and some of the darkness faded from his gaze.

"He's your brother," Elena rolled to the side, gasping, one hand clutching her torn dress, the other trying to get herself off the ground and simultaneously groping for a weapon. "You would really kill him?"

Pale and silent, Stefan looked down at his brother and his expression softened.

"I don't think he would," Gretchia regarded Stefan prudently.

Elena felt a quick pang of fear. She looked at Gretchia, a bizarrely elegant figure among the tombstones, her high cheek bones and olive skin glowing in the moonlight. There was something very beautiful about her, but that beauty was almost alien. Not just aien, but inhuman, because no human could project that aura of power.

The witch fixed her eyes on Damon and stuck a hand in front of her. An undetected surge of power made Damon's body spasm and he let out an aggrieved whimper . "But I can," she stated.

"Oh god!" Elena screamed, "Please don't!"

Elena flinched from what happened next before it happened, feeling the vehement rise of power, of

spiteful, unrestrained power. She screamed at the change in Stefan. His lovely face was deforming, altering into something that was neither human nor animal. An inexpressible light flashed in Stefan's eyes as he fell on Gretchia, his fangs sinking into her throat.

Stefan lifted his head as his fangs sprang further out and he tore into her skin while the blood gushed down her neck.

Elena tried to hold on to her consciousness as she heard the anguished screams of the witch but above everything, she heard the deafening shriek of Katherine.

"No!" Her voice itself hurt like driving daggers through her mind. The sheer power of it bewildered her, rocking her back against the oak tree. There was no way to escape it. It seemed to echo all around her.

Before Katherine managed to wrench Stefan off, Gretchia collapsed to the ground, limp and spent.

"What did you do?" Katherine roared at Stefan, who was just as confused as she was. What had he done?

Elena finally coped to scramble to her feet. She all but sprinted to where Damon lay unmoving.

"Hey, hey, Damon, can you hear me?" she whispered, smoothing his hair out of his face.

He nodded.

"Good," Elena exhaled in relief, "Are you in pain?"

Damon shook his head. Elena could hear hisses and snarls coming from behind her but she couldn't bring herself to give a damn.

"You think I can't handle it?"

_Oh I think you can handle anything, princess_, he smirked and winced as he tried to lift his head.

"How bad does it hurt?" Elena asked, distressed, "On a scale of one to ten."

He looked at her like she had lost it. There was a death match going on just a few dozen feet away from her and she wanted to know his pain- scale?

_Bonnie. _Damon thought

Elena's eyes widened, "What?"

_Behind you._

Elena spun around instinctively and just as soon as her eyes fell on Katherine, she was rendered speechless. And thought- less.

Katherine was on her knees, clutching her head in pain and screaming at a frequency that Elena was pretty sure was going to attract a modest cloud of bats.

Bonnie was standing over Katherine, her eyebrows knitted together in concentration.

"I can only hold her down for a while," she said without shifting her gaze from Katherine, "Get a stake."

Elena stared at her disoriented, "What?"

"Get a damn stake, Elena," Damon hissed.

She anxiously glanced at him and stumbled toward the oak. She tried to shut the screams out as she grabbed a low branch and scurried back.

She examined the stake- like branch in her hand with passive eyes. She had to stake Katherine. That should be fairly easier than confessing her feelings.

"No," Stefan's panicky voice interrupted her 'self- pep talk', "I wouldn't."

Elena looked at Stefan and froze. He was walking toward her with cat- like slowness.

"Put the stake down," his tone was appeasing. Compelling.

She felt her fingers loosen their grip around the stake and cautiously let it drop to the ground.

"He's using mind control!" Damon cried as he attempted to get to his knees, "Elena, snap out of it!"

Bonnie frowned as she felt a damp, warm streak of blood trickle down her nose. She didn't have her power. She was using her dead ancestors' and it was costing her.

"You don't want to kill Katherine," Stefan's expressionless words resonated through Elena's head. She didn't want to kill Katherine. She didn't want to kill-

And as swift as a comet, Damon shot toward Stefan and snapped his neck, sending him flopping on the ground.

She didn't want to- what? Elena looked around, perplexed. Katherine's incessant shrieks cut through her trance. Reality had come on so fast, it was unsettling.

"Now," Bonnie whimpered, "Elena!"

Now what? Elena racked through her brain. God, if only Katherine would stop screaming. Katherine. The stake.

Elena's eyes narrowed, distracted by the stake at her feet. With trembling hands, she picked it up and as if on autopilot, Elena's clumsy fingers fumbled at Katherine's throat. She tried to clasp it, but her fingers felt thick and uncoordinated and Katherine's clawing hand scrabbled at it wildly. With all her strength she wrenched the stake forward, driving it through Katherine's chest.

Katherine gasped and like a great vengeful black queen on a chess board, fell to her demise.

Bonnie sunk to the ground, her legs giving away like she had run a marathon and Damon's face fractionally fell.

"Is she-?" he hesitated.

"Yes," Elena noticed his regret. Damon still cared.


	23. Everything I Own

**Hello guys! First, this chapter wasn't easy for me to write and second, I cried when I did. It's rather sad I know and may be a little unexpected too, but I had to do it. I just couldn't take the threesome any further. So, I really hope you'll forgive me... eventually. =P**

* * *

_ I'll sing it one last time for you_  
_Then we really have to go_  
_You've been the only thing that's right_  
_In all I've done._

_ And I can barely look at you_  
_But every single time I do_  
_I know we'll make it anywhere_  
_Away from here._

_ Light up, light up_  
_As if you have a choice_  
_Even if you cannot hear my voice_  
_I'll be right beside you, dear._

_ Louder louder_  
_And we'll run for our lives_  
_I can hardly speak I understand_  
_Why you can't raise your voice to say_

_ To think I might not see those eyes_  
_Makes it so hard not to cry_  
_And as we say our long goodbyes_  
_I nearly do._

_ - Run, Snow Patrol_

* * *

"You love me," Damon said for the millionth time as he took a sharp right, racing forward through the dark roads, humming a tune to himself. Damon could sing?

"Remind me why I did that mind link spell again?" Bonnie groaned.

It was dark in the car and Elena could barely see his face in the glow from the dashboard. The tires squealed as he spun around to face north, accelerating too quickly, zooming past the familiar houses.

"You got your power back. Quit whining," Damon grinned at Bonnie who looked like she would hit the roof any second now, "Hey witchy, she loves me."

Bonnie bent over and yanked the hand brake with both hands and the car stopped with a judder. The engine was still running but the car was stationery.

"Whoa!" Damon gasped and impulsively stepped on the footbrake "Damn it, Bonnie! If I had known you were this feisty," Damon smirked.

"You didn't think Elena's house was in Siberia, did you?" Bonnie rolled her eyes as she got out of the car.

Damon finally noticed that they were parked in front of the house.

Elena's mouth twisted with an urge to giggle as she climbed out of the car. She felt light. Like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest.

"Right," Damon cut off the engine.

Bonnie was already reaching for the door bell as Elena started to panic. God, Ric was going to be furious!

"Better furious than dead," Damon made her jump.

She looked at him, baffled, "You can still hear my thoughts?"

"Sure sure, you're wearing blue underwear," Damon beamed.

Elena's eyes widened, "But- I-" she stuttered, "I wasn't thinking about-"

"Oooh lucky guess," Damon smirked, "I can only hear the _really_ strong thoughts."

Elena visibly tensed. Really strong thoughts? What the hell did _that_ mean?

"Isn't Alaric home?" Bonnie called out.

What? Elena stared at her like she'd grown an extra head.

"Of course he is," Damon stated with certainty. "He can't leave the house, remember?"

Elena felt cold as the microseconds stretched infinitely. She felt her heart kicking into express- speed.

"Then why isn't he opening the-?" Bonnie struggled with the knob.

"Allow me," Damon leisurely reached across her to try to twine his fingers around the door knob and with a mild tug, he managed to wrench it open.

The lights flickered on the porch as a rusty smell overpowered Damon's senses. Bonnie stiffened reflexively beside him.

Elena didn't have to ask to know that something was not right. She dashed into the house before either of them could stop her.

"Ric?" Damon could hear Elena clambering up the stairs.

"No," he heard Bonnie gasp beside him but he couldn't bring himself to pay attention. His mind was rocketing at a thousand feet per second. Assumptions. Presumptions. Suspicions.

"Damon," Bonnie tugged at his shirt without breaking her focus that was now glued to the glint of blue, half- obscured underneath his boot. "Damon."

"Can you smell it too?" he asked, deadpan.

Bonnie blinked dubiously, "Smell what?"

Damon warily followed Bonnie's trail of vision, "Oh god, is that-?"

"You tell me."

* * *

Elena froze as she stepped into her room. Alaric was lying face- down on the floor, his hands limp at his sides.

"Ric?" she managed to scarcely whisper.

His eyes were closed against her. It almost seemed like he was doing it on purpose. Like he was shutting her out deliberately- may be because he was angry. May be because they had left him behind, but it was maddening, nonetheless. Damn, couldn't he tell he was scaring her?

"Open your eyes," Elena giggled nervously as she knelt beside him. God, he really was a good actor.

"Elena!" Bonnie's eyes were wide as she spotted her kneeling over Alaric.

Elena shot her a frenzied look, "He's messing with me." Now she was really irritated, "Don't play possum! You're not fooling anyone and we've really had enough!" She was about to shake him hard when Damon yanked her off the floor.

He looked like he was in pain, "He can't," his voice was bleak.

The words sounded like rubbish to her as she stared at him ridiculously. "Good one, guys." He can't- yeah, right. "Open your eyes, Ric!"

"Elena, he can't!" Damon pushed her against the wall. She could feel his eyes burning into hers but she couldn't seem to meet them.

"Bullshit!" she shoved at him but he restrained her thrusts effortlessly. Dead? Alaric was dead? This had to be some kind of a sick joke.

"Princess, please," Damon's face was earnest now. He couldn't bear to hold her away. He had no right to hold her away.

Elena's eyes finally caught a flash of blood soaking the side of Alaric's shirt. Her heart heaved to an abrupt stop, her breath hitching in her throat, "Turn him around," she hissed.

Bonnie scuttled over and gently turned him so his back was resting against the floor, gasping as she took in the full extent of his wound. It looked like he was stabbed, just slightly to the left of center of his torso- only that there wasn't a knife. Or any weapon for that matter.

"Come on, hurry Damon, feed him your blood," Elena said desperately with such an air of knowledge that he released her instantly and obeyed.

Damon bit into his wrist and placed it over Alaric's pale lips as the blood flowed willingly into his mouth but there was no sign of life in him. His stillness sent chills down Elena's spine.

"Damn it, Ric! Drink the blood! Fight!" Damon said anxiously as Elena sobbed beside him.

"You can't let go. I won't let you go! Your time isn't over!" she frantically took his palms in hers and squeezed, "There, can you feel that? Can you squeeze back?"

"Elena," Bonnie noticed that her face was dripping wet, "Elena, look at me!"

"I won't let him go, Bonnie!"

"You have to," Bonnie whispered, "Elena, he's gone. It's just his body."

"You could link our minds!" Elena's face lighted up beneath the dried streaks of tears and the trails that were starting anew.

"Elena, please," Damon's face creased in heart- wrenching agony, "He's not in here. _Ric's_ not in here. We wouldn't lie to you."

"He has his ring!"

"No, he doesn't!" Damon held up the blue ring so Elena could get a glimpse of it.

_"Not what I expected. I tossed it across the room because I was pissed off. The bloody ring got the best of me, didn't it?" _the voice was a relaxed hum.

Elena ripped her eyes away from the ring, and fell over, grasping Alaric's shoulders with her hands, "I knew it! I knew you couldn't be dead!" she sobbed uncontrollably, "God, Ric, Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Alaric didn't move. He lay motionless. His mouth was full with Damon's blood and it was spilling out.

"Ric, please. I'm begging you. Please drink. You can do this."

Elena was dizzier than ever now. Outside events passed dimly around her, like Bonnie muttering something and Damon getting off the floor but she couldn't take her eyes off Ric. If she as much as missed one movement.

She couldn't hold herself up any longer and she sank on top of Alaric's chest. His body was cold. Even underneath his blood, it was cold.

Shivers went through her as she touched his wound. What pain had he endured? And all of a sudden, there was nothing she wanted more than to let go. He shouldn't have to live through this pain. She couldn't keep him trapped in this body.

_"Elena? Please, don't cry. It's not as bad as it looks. I don't feel much of anything except your tears. Not one drop more, please baby."_

"Ric?" Elena scrutinized him carefully. His lips weren't moving. How could she hear him? Was she hearing his thoughts? Did Bonnie-? "Bonnie, is this the mind- link?" she shifted her bemused gaze from Alaric to Bonnie and iced over at what she saw- at what Bonnie and Damon were fixating on. Alaric was standing over his body, watching her skeptical.

Oh, dear god, please! Even in her fuzzy world of nonsense, Elena knew that this was impossible. Through her daze, she had one thought. Miracles do happen, don't they?

_"Elena, breathe!" _

"How?" she managed to exhale, "How is this happening?"

_"I don't know. I was thinking about you and you were thinking about me. I pushed and you pulled, I guess?" _Alaric sounded unsure.

Elena looked at him like he was speaking a different tongue. Nothing made sense to her anymore.

"But who?" Damon cleared his throat, "Who did this?"

Elena got to her feet without breaking eye- contact with Ric. She kept telling herself that he would disappear into thin air if she as much as blinked. It was frustrating to not have power over anything. It made her feel weak.

_ "That's what I'm trying to figure out,"_ Alaric frowned at Damon.

"It wasn't Katherine or her witch-"

"Ric," Elena whispered, "Did you-" her world was spinning so fast she could hardly hold on to her sanity, "Did," she swallowed. It couldn't have been, could it?

_"Elena, it's alright, baby," _Alaric walked toward her and she backed away.

Alaric came to a stop inches before her. He had to comfort her. He had to let her know that he wasn't in pain. That he felt free.

"Did you feel like," Elena's voice cracked as she whimpered, "Like you were staked?"

"No," Bonnie heaved a sigh.

_"Elena, it really doesn't matter," _Alaric reached out to caress her face, but he couldn't feel her. She couldn't feel him.

"I killed you?" she drew back, "_I_ killed _you_?"

"Elena," Damon cut in, "It's not your fault. Katherine must have made her witch link Ric's life to hers."

Alaric felt lost now. Elena had killed Katherine? He looked at her like he never had before. Even after he had developed feelings for her, he had always thought that she wasn't completely ready for what she thought she was, but now she looked different. Changed somehow.

There was a long pause and Elena was losing her nerve. Few parts of her were numb, for instance, she couldn't feel pain anymore. Or hurt.

Alaric's eyes swooped down to her stomach and Elena felt like she was having a sudden epiphany- moment and she couldn't hold back the hysterics that were bubbling up her chest.

"How could it not matter?" she cried, "It matters. You know it does."

_ "May be," _Alaric forced himself to tear his eyes away from her stomach, _"But Elena I don't blame you. You saved our child. I'm proud of you," _he offered her a tender smile.

Our child? Had he just said 'our child'? "Not like this!" Elena creased her brows in disgust, "This wasn't supposed to happen!" 

_ "I was wrong about you,"_ Alaric flashed a prideful grin, _"You'll make a great mother. I know you will."_

Elena couldn't do this anymore. This was torment. She couldn't help wishing the fire had taken her. Katherine should've won. Damon should've left her to die. Bonnie should've-

"Elena, hey," Damon caught her before she fell.

"I can't," she whispered as she slid down against the wall and flopped herself on the floor.

Damon held her face as he wiped her tears with his thumbs. How was he ever going to save her from this?

"I should've let you go," Elena's voice was hoarse, "You wanted to move out. You didn't want any part of this. I'm sorry I made you stay."

_"Don't say that. Falling in love with you was the best decision I ever made," _Alaric knelt in front of her, _"It's the closest I've ever come to what I've always wanted."_

Elena couldn't bring herself to look at him. Instead she fixed her eyes on a spot of dirt in her jeans, "Does it hurt?"

_"It doesn't, baby. I can give you my word on that," _Alaric said, _"But you have to give me something in return."_

Elena snorted like he had just cracked a joke. Give him something? There was nothing remotely desirable left in her. She was as good as dead. "Of course," she lied.

_ "I want you to give me your most solemn word that you will try to be brave. If it helps at all, it's all over, Elena. The worst has happened. You've faced your fears. It's time for you to be happy."_

"Don't you fucking talk to me like that!" she snapped harshly, before she could stop herself, "How can you expect me to be happy? Why the fuck would you take off the ring, Ric?"

Damon and Bonnie flinched at her words.

"If you even think that I'd let you get away with this, you're dead- wrong! If this is how it's supposed to be, fine!" she hissed at him, "You'll just have to keep pushing and I'll just have to keep pulling. It's as simple as that." See? Problem solved. No biggie.

Of course. How could he have forgotten how stubborn she was? Alaric chuckled, _"It's not as simple as that, love."_

"It isn't?"

_"You can't love a ghost for the rest of your life, Elena,"_ he sighed, _"You can't hold on to a dream and forget to live."_

"Well, watch me!" she said resolutely.

"I will. I promise to watch over you," Alaric smiled, "I'll always be here, watching over you, watching over this dick," he turned to Damon.

Suddenly something stronger than grief, stronger than self-pity, even stronger than guilt, took hold of her. Alaric didn't want her to hurt. He wanted her to show no sign of weakness. She could give him that, couldn't she? She could. That was it- that was what she could give him. She dashed the tears from her face and nodded unable to meet his eyes.

_"Damon, I'm sorry," _Alaric said to him, _"If I had known that you and Elena were-"_

"Don't, Ric," Damon cut him off.

_"But will you-?"_

"I promise," Damon answered his unspoken thought. He would do anything for him. If he could take his place, he would.

_"Thanks, buddy." _Alaric placed his palm on Elena's cheek, _"You're loved, Elena. You're not alone."_

Elena nodded helplessly. She was about to ask 'What about you?' when suddenly, there was a light, unnatural breeze. Her eyes flew up, but she was too late. He was gone.

It was over. This was reality. A reality where she was supposedly 'not alone'.

* * *

**Alright, that's what I was talking about ;) Hope you guys liked it! Thank you very much for all your great reviews and keep reviewing. There's an epilogue coming up! I'll try to post it as soon as it's done. Cheers! :)**


	24. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_Seattle, 6 years later_

Elena sat down in the muted lighting of the living room heaving a sigh, wondering what she had gotten herself into. It had only been two weeks since they had moved in and to say that she was exhausted was an understatement.

She had just returned from the Harborview mixer party- a party the hospital annually held for all the interns before their training commenced. She had worn her hair up in a modest little black boat- neck dress paired with perfectly sleek stilettos. The last thing she wanted was to overdo it. She had to look hardcore- like a serious surgeon.

Even so, her efforts had gone down the drain the moment a five foot- something boy had asked her if she was interning to be a nurse. She might as well, she yawned as she glanced at the clock. The clock was at ten minutes to twelve. What on earth was taking them so long? She yawned again as her eyes drooped shut.

She jerked up, woken by the high- pitched squeal that came from outside the door. She had dozed off? The clock showed twelve. Despite her annoyance, her lips twitched into a smile which to her regret, dulled as soon as the door swung open to reveal Damon, soaked and muddy, and swinging Izzy around like they were ballroom dancing, making her squeal again.

"Again! Again!" Izzy yelled and Damon obliged, tossing her up into the air and catching her, clutching her close. He gently kissed her sandy- brown hair and tickled her ceaselessly for a moment. Izzy howled with laughter, squirming against Damon, pushing him away. Grinning, Damon set her on the ground.

"Okay, where's mom-" Damon stopped mid- sentence as he spotted Elena standing across the living room, watching them terrified.

"Mommy!" Izzy screeched and ran to her, hoping she'd cradle her like always, but instead she folded her arms and crinkled her nose.

"I can explain, Mommy," Damon said as he put three duffel bags down.

"Explain why the two of you smell like wet garbage?" Elena scrutinized him.

"We went fishing, Mommy!" Izzy jumped up and down, hardly containing her elation.

"Yes, and did we catch our limit or what!" Damon beamed, "Oh, let me get the ones in the truck."

"There's more?" Elena let some acid seep into her voice.

Damon stiffened. Oh well, it was fun when it lasted, "I thought you were supposed to be in some orientation party."

"Izzy, bed, now."

Izzy cast a rueful look at Damon and left.

"Seriously?"

"Come on, princess, we're in Seattle and it's fishing season!"

"She didn't make it to school, did she?"

"Well," Damon dragged.

"Seriously?" Elena internally cursed herself for using the word so often. The two- hour phone call with Caroline was rubbing off on her.

"Okay, I'm going to hit the shower," Damon said as he took off his shirt.

Elena's breath caught in her throat as she saw his muscles flex under his flawless skin. She pulled her eyes away, breathing hard.

Damon smirked, "Unless, you like it dirty, of course."

Elena shook her head amused, "You're never going to stop using sex as a weapon, are you?"

"Never," Damon said as he swooped her up into his arms.

Elena giggled, "Oh, what am I going to do with you?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something," Damon whispered with a salacious smile as he raced up the stairs.

* * *

"Izzy, I swear to god! If you don't get your as-"

"Eh- uh, try again," Damon smacked Elena's behind as he picked up a cookie and started nibbling on it.

Elena glared at him like she wanted to shove the cookie right up his nose.

"Baby steps, princess," Damon nodded.

"Izzy! For the hundredth time!"

"Give her some time," Damon said coolly as he settled into one of the dining chairs, "It's a new place. New school. She's nervous."

"So am I! Damon, it's my first day and I can't be late!" Elena paused to breathe, "None of the people here think I'm serious enough as it is and I-" she ran her hands through her hair.

"Okay, let's see," Damon frowned, "You did wake up one day and say you wanted to be a surgeon."

"Not helping!"

"Alright," Damon chuckled, "Knock yourself out. I'll get her to school."

"That's what you said yesterday," Elena reminded him of the fishing trip he and Izzy had returned from the previous night, all soaked and stinky, "She's got you wrapped around her little finger."

"What? No, she doesn't," Damon feigned offense, "Fine," he said when Elena glared at him again, "Izzy, come have your breakfast."

The little girl reluctantly hopped into the living room with unveiled displeasure. Damon spluttered on his coffee as he took her in.

She looked like she had just wrestled a grizzly bear, her hair sticking out in all possible directions. Wow, she knew how to have fun.

"Well?" Elena prodded.

Damon cleared his throat, "Izzy bug, shouldn't you be ready for school?"

She ignored him, "I have ice cream for breakfast?" she smiled up at Elena sweetly.

"Ice cream?" Elena squeaked, "Isobel Miranda Gilbert, you sit your behind down on this chair right now and eat your salads or I'm taking away your Iggy the Piggy."

"Mommy!" she whined.

"Come on, sweety," Damon patted the chair beside him. She slumped on the chair with a dramatic sigh.

"Eat up," Elena gestured to her plate, "Mommy has got to leave early today. Damon will take you to school."

"Damon take me to school?" Izzy lightened.

"Damon?" Elena narrowed her eyes at him.

He gulped down his coffee, "Yes, I am," he looked terrified.

"Okay!" Izzy bounced in her seat with uncontained excitement.

Elena kissed them goodbye as she ducked into the incessant Seattle rains.

Damon shot into Izzy's room and came back with her brush. He straightened her up and started tugging at the damp knots in her hair. The golden brown color of it often reminded him of Ric. Of course, Izzy was Ric's daughter but it just didn't feel like that anymore.

"Do I have to go?" she murmured.

There it was, Damon smirked, "You have no choice, baby."

She opened her mouth as if to say something and closed it immediately.

"What's wrong with school?" Damon noticed her unease.

"I don't have friends."

"Yet," Damon added.

"I miss aunt Bonnie."

"Just admit it, sweety, you miss the feather floating and the candle tricks," he tugged one last time and braided her long waves expertly.

"No one believes me," she shrugged.

Right, no doubt she wasn't making any friends. "Honey, they won't. None of your classmates would've met a witch."

"I'm different."

"Yes," Damon tapped her nose, "You are different. In a good way."

Izzy looked up at him, "Why won't mommy talk to me about papa?"

Damon went rigid. Why did he have to be the one to have the conversation? He sat in his chair and studied her expression. The way she looked at him with her hazel eyes- there was something very mature about her eyes, like she knew things that she wasn't supposed to know.

"Izzy," Damon smiled, "Mommy will talk to you when she's ready. When you're ready."

"Everyone's bringing their papas to school today," Izzy looked away.

"Why, baby?"

"It's Care- care carry Day," Izzy looked confused.

"Career Day?" Damon chuckled.

"Career Day," Izzy repeated.

Since when did elementary schools start having Career Day? The world was going mental, Damon sighed, "Why didn't you say something to mommy?"

"She gets sad," Izzy shoved a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, "When I talk about papa."

Damon stared at her intently. Her thoughtfulness amazed him. "Come on," he stood up.

* * *

Elena took another glimpse of her reflection in her blue scrubs and high ponytail. Just when she was considering getting herself a pair of nerdy glasses, her eyes suddenly caught Damon standing in the doorway to the locker room.

She gasped and turned to see if she was hallucinating. To her misfortune, she wasn't. Damon was very much standing in front of her, holding Izzy's hand.

"Are you joking?" Elena hissed, "Explain yourselves, both of you!"

"Which is your locker?" Damon asked, calmly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Which is your locker, Elena?"

"Why isn't Izzy at school?" Elena glowered at him.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Damon shrugged as he started sniffing the lockers, "Bingo!" he wrenched open the one with Elena's scent and stuck his head in.

Izzy just hovered by the benches, looking petrified. Elena looked at her quizzically, "What's wrong, sweety?"

Izzy looked down at her feet, her posture nervous.

"What are you looking for? A lion or a witch?" Elena turned to Damon.

"Ha- ha," Damon scoffed, "Here it is!" he closed the locker shut, holding a soft brown checked shirt.

Elena's eyes widened, "Damon, put it back into my locker," she said through gritted teeth.

"No, can do," Damon stuffed it into his leather jacket, "Goodbye, Elena, have a nice day at work."

"Damon, don't you dare-"

"Is that blood I smell? Beep- beep! Get your pager! 911!" he said animatedly as he hauled Izzy out of the locker room.

"Damon!" Elena rushed to the hallway but he was gone by then.

* * *

This was supposed to work, Damon scowled at the piece of cloth in his hands. Bonnie said it would. He closed his eyes again, trying to reminisce his last moment with him. He slowly opened an eye to see if it had worked but nothing. No gust of wind. No flickering lights. Zip. Zilch. Nada. He sighed heavily.

Izzy watched him patiently, her chin resting on her fist, and her Iggy the Piggy in her lap.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Damon muttered, "I have an audience I can't disappoint!"

"I try, Damon?" Izzy offered.

Damon faltered, "I don't think it works that way, bug." How would it? She had no memory of him, but something in him made him hold out the shirt to Izzy.

She touched the fabric timidly, her eyes vaguely lighting up as she felt the softness of it.

Damon stiffened as he felt a profound surge of breeze scrape the nape of his neck. A reflexive tremor passed through him as he tentatively turned to investigate the cause, and there he was. Same old blue jeans, same old checked shirt, same old unkempt stubble, same old ruffled hair.

Alaric's eyes sparkled as he spotted Damon, his lips curling into a warm smile.

"Seriously?" Damon couldn't help but grin, "You couldn't use _me_ as a connection?"

"Of course I could," Alaric grinned back, "I was just screwing with you."

"Fun," Damon rolled his eyes, "You don't have a hair- saloon on the _other side_?"

Izzy stared at him in sheer disbelief. She walked up to Damon and held his hand. Damon looked down at her like he suddenly realized that she was around.

"Hey, there," Alaric waved to Izzy as she ducked behind Damon.

Damon caught a flicker of hurt in Alaric's face as he brought Izzy around to face him. "It's okay, sweety," he whispered, "Ric won't hurt you."

Izzy whispered under her breath, "Is that papa?"

"You asked, baby," Damon smiled.

"But Damon, my dress," Izzy frowned.

Alaric chuckled, "Your dress is pretty, Izzy."

Izzy smiled up at Alaric, putting all her pearly- whites on display.

"So, go on," Damon prompted, "Why did you want to see papa?"

Izzy hesitated, "It's Care- what is it, Damon?"

"Career Day," Damon smirked.

"Career Day," Izzy nodded, "I wanted to know what you do."

Alaric shot a puzzled look at Damon. They still haven't had the talk? "I was a professor."

"A teacher?" Izzy sounded impressed, "You teach?"

Alaric stooped down, "I did, yes."

"What did you teach?"

"History."

"About princesses and castles?" Izzy's eyes widened.

Damon sniggered. "Sure," Alaric said, amused.

"Cool," Izzy cheered, "Okay."

"That's it?" Damon teased, "That's all you wanted to know? I mean I could've told you myself if-"

"Damon!" Elena's voice made him pause mid- sentence, "Where are you?"

"Busted," Damon muttered.

Alaric glanced at the door nervously and stilled when he saw her. He blinked a couple of times, uncertain.

"Damon! I need the shirt back and you better- Whoa!" Elena jumped.

Alaric got up, stepping away from Izzy. He gawked at her like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. "Elena."

Elena felt blank. No, Elena felt nothing. Blank was a feeling, wasn't it? She felt like she had no feelings left in her. She just stood rooted to the ground, her anger and frustration forgotten, the world elapsed, her existence in a stupor.

"How?" Elena managed to voice her only thought. How was this possible? How could this happen?

Alaric shook his head, "Elena, I'm sorry."

"How?" Elena repeated, her feelings creeping back into her being. Rushing back, to be precise.

Damon gestured Izzy to leave. Izzy obeyed, knowing better than to argue.

"You weren't supposed to see me like this," Alaric said stiffly.

"Six years," Elena's voice was expressionless, "I've been trying to contact you for six years. What changed?"

"You weren't supposed to. You were supposed to mourn me and move on."

"So all these years," Elena breathed, holding herself together, "You could hear me." Wow, this was news.

"You look, um,"

"Hideous," Elena looked down at her scrubs.

"I was going to say beautiful."

Elena moved one step closer. This was really happening. After all the nights she had spent dreaming about the moment she would see him again, after all the days she had spent yearning for just one more moment with him, it was actually happening.

"So, Izzy likes you, huh?" Alaric asked Damon, trying not to sound jealous and failing.

Damon snorted. Ric hadn't changed a bit. "She does."

"She doesn't call you daddy though?"

Elena raised her eyebrows, "No," she lifted her right palm, "We aren't married."

"Why not?"

"I guess we are both too damaged to move forward," Elena smiled sadly.

"You named her Isobel."

"You don't like it?" Elena asked troubled.

"I love it," Alaric assured her.

Elena relaxed fractionally.

"I have to leave," Alaric whispered.

"I know," Elena nodded, aware, "Just- just stay," she swallowed the heaviness building in her throat, "For a minute."

Damon, Elena and Alaric looked at each other with impassive eyes, knowing that this might just be the closest they would get to what they wanted. A family.

* * *

The end!


End file.
